Guest List: David Gallaher is The Only Living Boy at the Jukebox

In Guest List, Paste’s favorite artists and auteurs reveal the music that’s inspired some of their most seminal works.
Set on a mysterious patchwork planet, David Gallaher and Steve Ellis’ The Only Living Boy follows 12-year-old Erik Farrell as he runs away from home and finds himself stranded without his memory in a world overrun with magic and mysticism. With heavy doses of Jack Kirby’s Kamandi and a liberal sprinkling of old Hanna-Barbera action ‘toons, The Only Living Boy Vol. 1: Prisoner of the Patchwork Planet is an all-ages adventure out this week from Papercutz, with additional volumes to follow.
And with a title plucked from a Simon & Garfunkel song, it’s only fitting that The Only Living Boy would come equipped with a hefty playlist. While you can find every song selection from David Gallaher’s list on the book’s Spotify page, the Harvey nominee was happy to provide Paste with a rundown of the major tunes that accompany his latest collaboration with artist Steve Ellis.
“Main Theme” from Jonny Quest, Dominik Hauser
The percussion-heavy big-band jazz theme song from Jonny Quest, covered here by Dominik Hauser, was written and conceived by Hoyt Curtain and is simply the quintessential adventure theme.
“The Only Living Boy in New York,” Simon & Garfunkel
There’s a reason why this song is the namesake of our series. Lyrics like, “half of the time we’re gone but we don’t know where” capture this timeless, lost and lonely feel. Our hero could be anywhere in space or time—and there’s something archetypal about that.
“Somewhere They Can’t Find Me,” Simon & Garfunkel
“Before they come to catch me I’ll be gone. Somewhere they can’t find me.” Those lyrics really speak to Erik’s mood when he’s running away through the rainy streets of New York. The frenetic up-tempo song causes an incredible ruckus, making a brilliant fit for our story.