In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Dennard Dayle’s How to Dodge a Cannonball is a Civil War novel that impresses with its dark humor and social commentary.
Kirkus wrote of the book:
“Grand dreams, inflated egos, and cruel twists of fate are often the stuff of great satires and this first novel by Dayle evokes such classic accounts of the human condition in conflict as Candide, Catch-22, and at least a couple of books by Evelyn Waugh. Historical burlesque as lively in invention as it is ingenious in execution.”
In his own words, here is Dennard Dayle’s Book Notes music playlist for his debut novel How to Dodge a Cannonball:
I write in silence. Music seems like a crutch, really. If you can’t find the magic yourself, is the work really yours? I’d be ashamed.
That should get some heat. On to reality. Like anyone else writing longform insults to his country, the right soundtrack helps. Immensely. All my work longer than a greeting card has a playlist hiding somewhere. Alongside the handful of albums I hide behind when writer’s block kicks in the door. Devin Townsend didn’t make this list, but I owe him decades of royalties.
How to Dodge a Cannonball (my novel about the first US civil war) sparked endless playlist attempts. I’m an active procrastinator, drawn to tasks that feel like work. Two of my lists saw real use. Unfocused essays go nowhere, so we’re just covering one. For the other, imagine period army songs with cameos by Tom Lehrer. Useful, but less exciting.
A quirk of this list: good and sane were optional. I spent half the book impersonating slavery’s fan club. Tapping that voice takes you places. It’s a miracle that this isn’t two hours of late-stage Kanye. Maybe the sequel.
I may relapse here. Nationalist delusion, like any addiction, can be a lifelong struggle. Don’t tell my sponsor.
“Real American” by Rick Derringer
My lead, Anders, spends his childhood chasing American heroism.
It’s not productive. That relationship with the flag recalled Hulk Hogan, the steroid artist of a generation. His entrance, “Real American,” sparked and stunted a generation’s imagination. If you already knew that, we’d probably get along.
Who knew Hulk’s greatest opponent would be press freedom? Or black people existing? Life’s little surprises.
“Brain Damage” by Eminem
Between The Slim Shady LP’s horrorcore divorces, sits a song about growing up missing a screw. For all the virtues of Anders’s quest to die for his country before he can vote, there’s some of that in his character. I was born with fully-developed principles, so I use this tune to relate. You might like it too, if you ever need to imagine life in a twister of misinformation.
I checked The Death of Slim Shady for similar insight. Nope. Still, we can enjoy “Brain Damage” for what it is.
“Baby Criminal” by Viagra Boys
The same slice of life, from another perspective. “Baby Criminal” captures a parent’s panic attack as their son explores healthy adolescent extremism. Anders’s mother, Katrina, enjoys the same experience, albeit without the dance-punk groove. Most of life’s easier to bear with a dance-punk groove.
In Anders’s defense, a little fundamentalism’s more fun than thinking all the time. There’s certainty. That’s nice, comforting water. Maybe I’ll dip a toe back into it.
“Empire of the Blind” by Heathen
I’m an unreconstructed thrash metal cultist, but I don’t get this one. For some reason, Heathen released an album about an empire in steep, self-inflicted decline. Weird. Don’t they know they’re in the only place in the world? I suppose everyone takes their tilt at fantasy eventually. This was the lead single.
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” by Bing Crosby, Vic Schoen & His Orchestra, and The Andrews Sisters
Unlike academic spoilsports and MFA brats, Anders focuses on the upside. A rout can be a glorious last stand. Enslavement can be cultural upliftment. Death can be freedom from doublethink. You decide your story, unless you’ve been uplifted. Anders maintains mental flexibility as he defects south and back again. Even when he joins a black regiment, where life’s 2/5th cheaper.
At least in the first chapter, I haven’t reread the rest. Let me know how things go if you pick it up.
“Curse My Name” by Blind Guardian
Again, what? This song’s about late-stage monarchy, and this is the land of freedom. Everyone has a voice, except when the GOP plays a fun prank. Blind Guardian’s the most well-read metal act, and that’s deeply suspicious. Riffs don’t need books. What’s in mine, anyway? Communism? Sharia Law? Sharia communism? I bet Antifa reads books.
Blind Guardian is my favorite band in the world, and I disavow their collectivist ballad. It’s probably about a book. The only sound my headphones need is a flag billowing in the wind. Wikipedia tells me they’re not even American, which is evidently allowed.
“Declaration Day” by Iced Earth
There we go. Freedom-loving power metal outfit Iced Earth made The Glorious Burden about the joy of killing for America. The album covers diverse perspectives, from killing for early America to killing for modern America. Wherever you stand, we’re united by our love of killing for America. I wish I was killing now, but I’m willing to wait.
Unrelatedly, the vocalist was arrested on January 6th. Probably nothing. Focus on the music, not the politics. Unless you think killing for America’s political. Then I don’t know what to tell you, you’re lost.
More importantly, “Declaration Day” follows a twin-guitar version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Wait, why isn’t that here?
“The Star Spangled Banner” by Iced Earth
This is a twin guitar version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” I tear up every time I hear it. Or think of all the lives lost to DEI. I hope that after two centuries of sacrifice, white America can forgive. Or at least only punish the untalented ninetieth.
To make the most of this song: enter the largest room in your bunker. Destroy every newspaper, news magazine, and cell phone within. Put your head under an American-made pillow, and whisper “America” for three minutes. If you can’t find an American-made pillow, do the above without inhaling. That might be challenging, or lethal. But you’ll be that much closer to the Founders.
Anyway, that’s enough Iced Earth singles.
“The Devil to Pay” by Iced Earth
Instead, it’s time for Iced Earth deep cuts. This is the first of a three-song, twenty-two minute epic about Gettysburg. While books fixate on what people fought for or if their strategy made sense, Iced Earth stays balanced. They capture the tragedy of two valid perspectives on charging miles without cover. And human ownership.
Bombast distinguishes the trilogy. You can feel the scale of battle, because everything’s mixed loud. The songwriting also helps, if you’re into that. All the words for that are in books, and I’d rather feel my music.
“Hold at All Costs” by Iced Earth
Part two of the epic. We’re trapped in the haze of battle, brother turned against brother. To depict this, Iced Earth describes a soldier fighting his brother. Whatever caused the Civil War, we’re forced to ask: was it worth it? Iced Earth says “maybe.”
“High Water Mark” by Iced Earth
I know, five Iced Earth songs is a lot of freedom for one human body. But the rest of the trilogy’s here, and Reconstruction shows you an unfinished job’s worth. And you’ll get Iced Earth’s full range: songs that are loud the whole time, songs that start soft then get loud, and their most experimental fare: songs that start loud, get soft, then get really loud. This is the third. I’d compare it to Leonard Cohen’s early work. I haven’t listened to any, but I like getting passionate email.
Honestly, if you only listen to one of these, I’d make it this. There’s an operatic version of General Lee planning Pickett’s Charge, defending Pickett’s Charge, and lamenting Pickett’s Charge.
“In Aeternum” by Fleshgod Apocalypse
Another loud, one-sided caricature of monarchy. I suspect that a foreign agent made this playlist between fentanyl shipments. Wikipedia says Fleshgod Apocalypse is Italian, and they stole our neofascist swag. I’d balance it out with a sixth Iced Earth song, but I can’t find one that sounds different.
“Living in America” by James Brown
This’ll do. James Brown is a bit underground, but I try to expose myself to new music. This song debuted in the independent film “Rocky 4,” about the power of HGH and CTE to change your life. In America, you can make it with any three-letter acronym. Except that one. And CRT. And whatever the next one is. I see you.
Anders, like Rocky, takes a few high-velocity blows to the head. This lends them both classical American wisdom, untainted by ivory tower libraries and fact-checkers. This song helped me tap that untarnished innocence, which I try to recapture each morning with a glass of all-American Jagermeister.
“Jungle War” by The Lonesome Valley Singers
I forget the specific context for this one. Though it’s contemporary with the Gulf of Tonkin resolution and has “War” in the title, so I bet it’s about kicking tail. A benefit of a healthy military-industrial complex: you never run out of inspiring war music. I can find a useful track in every decade and genre. WW3 drill tracks should be excellent.
“This is America,” by Childish Gambino
Don’t believe everything you see. The lyrics and video imply a bitter critique of a fractured country. But this sounds like a groovy song where Donald Gloversays America a lot. Awesome. A perfect fit for the next Rocky, where a CGI Stallone takes the belt back from Killmonger.
“Fortunate Son,” Creedence Clearwater Revival cover by Clutch
Treason. Next.
“American Idiot,” by Green Day
Deluxe treason. Next.
“Made in the U.S.A.,” by Lupe Fiasco
Complicated treason. Next.
“Cult of Personality” by In Living Color
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re back to pro-wrestling. Even if it’s CM Punk, who keeps posting pictures of Gaza graffiti instead of beer with flag-colored cans. But what’s with all the shots at hero worship in this list? People need heroes. Without heroes, we’re stuck thinking about our own lives and behavior. Miss me with that. My choices are a black hole from which light cannot escape. I will never look back, or change my behavior. There be dragons.
Another character of mine with nothing to change: Tobias Gleason. Anders’s mentor is a born leader, who knows what the people around him need. That’s working out in the first few chapters, and I bet he keeps the hit train running. Buy the book to watch him keep crushing it. Tobias is every American, and every American is right. Even when they take out a loan for a stick of gum. Thanks for reading. This playlist is ideal for fans of great metal, terrible metal, pop with “America” in the title, and pro-wrestling. In short, Josh Crawford of Yorktown Heights, New York. Hey Josh! Hope you love the book.
Christopher Tradowsky is a writer, artist, and art historian. He was awarded the 2023 J. Michael Samuel Prize from the Lambda Literary Foundation. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Midnight at the Cinema Palace is his debut novel.