Musical Identity as a Fracture of Habit

Today I want to begin with a question:

What do “The Roses” and the hypnotic theme from “Severance” have in common? Let’s play along — comment the very first thing that came to your mind, and let’s build from there.

Today we’re going to talk about the links between social capital and what happens when something disrupts those links within the audiovisual industry.Have you noticed that we always hear the same surnames? Williams, Giacchino, Desplat, Powell, Newton… why is that?

Well, we could say there’s a latent social capital at play.Social capital refers to the accumulation of connections, acquaintances, visibility, and networks that shape the fabric of an identity.As always, I’ll try to be as clear as possible and bring my academic–technical thoughts down to words we can all take and reshape together.

Many times, a person’s social capital is greater — and that ends up defining directions and nuances.To give you a small review and explain where I’m going: I’m referring to Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of capitals.He proposed that there are four main forms of capital — four accumulable resources that influence how we move through society:economic (the most obvious one), social, symbolic (linked to prestige and recognition), and cultural (which includes knowledge, practice, and artistic sensitivity).

Why bring up these capitals? Because I think it’s essential to observe how the social elements that interact during the creation of cultural products (in this case, music) relate to one another.Music —that force we’ve often discussed here, the one that intervenes in our sense of balance, perception, and imagination— is, beyond our control, filtered through a fine social fabric just to come into existence.

Now, back to the opening question: what do “The Roses” and the hypnotic theme from “Severance” have in common?The answer is Theodore Shapiro.

Maybe the name doesn’t ring a bell — he’s not as popular as the others I mentioned, but I love his work.You could say he doesn’t have as much social capital (though it’s clearly growing by the day) as the palette of composers we’re usually offered.So… how?

In this particular case, cultural and symbolic capital outweigh the social.And it’s fascinating to see the chain of events that this triggers. Through his work as a composer, Shapiro transmits essences that couldn’t have existed without that fracture of what’s “habitual.”Those who have listened to the Severance intro and then to The Roses (currently in theaters) can’t help but link them.

Here lies something central to what I’ve always tried to clarify in this podcast: subjectivity, meaning the identity of the one who writes the music, inevitably permeates their constructions.

Severance has an unmistakable, penetrating, and mysterious sound.The only live instruments in the score, apart from the piano, are strings: a violin and a cello.The composition moves in a back-and-forth between four chords — two consonant, two dissonant.This theme won him his first Emmy — his first real visibility in the sphere where social capital reigns.In other words, Shapiro broke through the industry’s preferences — and that’s no small feat.

It even reminds me of this year’s Oscar winner — Daniel Blumberg, who got to appear on stage for a glorious two minutes. (Yes, please catch my irony here.)

From Series to Sound Identity

A few days ago, a dear friend wrote to me about this soundtrack.She said: “You have to talk about this!”I remember replying: “I can’t make an episode about a series I haven’t finished yet.” But now I think I can — and that I must.

That realization came after watching The Roses last weekend.

The Roses tells a story that’s comedic, almost absurd, yet deeply human — about relationships and the incoherences that define us.

How can two works so seemingly different share that same aura of mystery and intrigue?Through music.

I first discovered Shapiro in Collateral Beauty (2016).What a film — truly a gem.It carries that same nostalgic, hypnotic essence, even though its theme has nothing to do with the other two productions I just mentioned.

Another piece of his that stands out to me is The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.To be honest, I haven’t seen that movie — but its soundtrack is on my “essentials” playlist.

When Identity Disrupts Habit

Coming full circle — this isn’t meant to be a sociology episode.It’s an invitation to question the processes that unfold when the fabric of human resources (these capitals we just discussed) configures the identity of the products we consume — and, in doing so, shapes our individual and collective stories.

Let’s remember: music isn’t exempt from this dynamic — it sustains it. And when we replicate it in our daily lives, we become part of that same chain of order and reproduction.

Original Version