For this storyteller, ‘The Legend of Zelda’ theme song was a life-changer

Last weekend at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, storytellers told tales about the song that either defined or changed their lives. For John Charles, music from the Nintendo game “The Legend of Zelda” was deeply transformative.

Last weekend at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia, storytellers told tales about the song that either defined or changed their lives.

The storytellers performed as part of the Soundtrack Series, a story slam-like event presented by former Philadelphian Dana Rossi, now based in New York City.

WHYY’s Peter Crimmins caught up with one of the storytellers, John Charles, for whom the musical theme for the original Nintendo Entertainment System’s “The Legend of Zelda” reminded him of the deeply transformative power of the video game.

“It’s not necessarily all the time about winning it,” said Charles, the general manager of the Merriam Theater in Philadelphia. “There’s lots of stuff to figure out just by wandering around.”

He said it’s that wandering that can sometimes make all the difference. “My love of things you can genuinely get lost in led me to my love of theater, my love of art, and my desire to somehow be involved in helping other people do that.”

 

You can listen to more stories from the Soundtrack Series at SoundtrackSeries.com.