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June 18, 2020
Chris Dennis's Playlist for His Story Collection "Here Is What You Do"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others.
Chris Dennis's collection Here Is What You Do resonates with deeply flawed characters drawn with exacting empathy.
Publishers Weekly wrote of the book:
"Dennis pries into difficult moments that create pain but also new opportunities for the characters of his arresting, notable debut . . . Dennis’s resilient characters show fortitude in the midst of trauma and failure, and there’s a surprising strain of optimism that runs through these often stark stories."
In his own words, here is Chris Dennis's Book Notes music playlist for his story collection Here Is What You Do:
Coming up queer in a Christian cult in a deeply rural community had its advantages. I spent a lot of time outdoors, wandering through the woods with my Walkman, listening to Eurythmics, envisioning all of the stunning, cinematic ways the world was about to end. Our church fetishized the apocalypse, and because they thought it could occur at any moment, they mythologized the present. We spoke in tongues, and we danced. The dancing was my favorite part. Probably this explains why I’m often trying to arrive at some terrifying moment of exaltation in my writing. And why I’m always drawn to haunted, forlorn bangers. With this playlist, as with most of the stories in my collection, I tried to capture the underlying mood of a gay Satanic dance party in the woods. Not all of the songs necessarily correspond with particular stories or moments, but most of them were on a heavy rotation while I was writing it, or represent an aesthetic that inspires me.
“Star Red,” Nakhane
Imagine if Toni Morrison were the lead singer of New Order, or Depeche Mode. Actually you don’t have to imagine, because Nakhane is that. They’re great at telling a complicated, personal story, with rich lyrical specificity and concrete imagery so poignant that it just naturally tends toward the metaphorical.
“Cult Logic,” Miike Snow
Until one has danced all alone in the yard while wearing headphones, one has never fully inhabited the music video of one’s life. Miike Snow’s debut album is the perfect soundtrack for a lonely outdoor dance party. The lyrics and melodies and the tone of lead singer Andrew Wyatt’s voice all have distinctly folk influences, while the music soars with glitchy cut-and-paste electronic arrangements.
“Calling in the Name of Love,” Active Child
He’s an opera singing harp player but with 90’s R&B influences. I love unlikely anachronisms. Most of my favorite art involves strange worlds coming together to complicate and comment on one another.
“Dark Allies” Light Asylum
The campy, pitch-black melodrama of Light Asylum is a genre all its own. “Dark Allies” has such a joyous and sinister mood to it, like a lazer show in a Victorian nightmare, like having your heart broke in a sex dungeon. This song sends me to the dark side of the moon, and back.
“Little Bird,” Annie Lennox
Is this song universally loved? I feel like it is, but I was a gay teen in the 1990s, which is when, I would argue, Annie Lennox ultimately took her seat at the extravagant, undefinable table of gay icons. This record in particular possesses that startling combination of brokenness and power that is a prerequisite for any queer anthem. That lyric, “But momma, I feel so low” next to Stephen Lipson’s pulsing bass synth is a gold standard for depressing jams.
“Wildfire” SBTRKT (feat. Little Dragon)
Yukimi Nagano’s voice is so full of air, and she pushes that bright airiness out into the room in such a way that it makes me wanna roll my shoulders. This song makes really interesting use of negative space—sounds drop out, and then come back together all at once. It’s a great lesson in how to effectively arrange tropes.
“Stand Back,” Stevie Nicks
The gay father in my story, “This is a Galaxy,” adores Stevie Nicks. The backstory of this song’s creation is a huge inspiration to me. Apparently Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” had just been released, and Stevie Nicks was cruising around listening to it in her car when she began to sing another melody and lyric over top of it. She wrote “Stand Back” like that. I love this idea, that good things allow other good things to be born. I think the stories in my book were in many ways written on top of songs or between the lines of other stories. Prince came into the studio when Stevie recorded “Stand Back,” and it’s him playing that bright OB-Xa synthesizer riff on the final version.
“Islands,” The xx
This band's sound is so confident, partly because of their minimalistic approach. I long to execute that same singularity in my work. I don’t always succeed, but I’m inspired by The xx’s self-assured simplicity. My ideas are sometimes messy, but there’s a strong vision of editorial clarity in this band’s music, and I strive for that same straightforward, elegant purpose.
“Lazarus,” David Bowie
Throughout his entire career Bowie was able to speak directly to the zeitgeist while also being entirely authentic, which is such a rare achievement. What a gift to be both honest and relevant. What a hero. This song to me is like a final insistent, soulful cry into the dark. You can hear the frailty in his voice, but there’s wisdom there too, and demand. I hope to enter old age as the kind of artist who is always this raw and curious.
“Invisible Light,” Scissor Sisters
A demonic club hit for the ages, this track throbs with queer subculture aesthetics. It’s giving some serious Suspiria energy. The production shimmers like a violent underground disco, and there’s a glorious “rap” by Sir Ian McKellen that includes the lines “...sexual gladiators and fiercely old party children” which inspired more than a few moments in my story “In The Martian Summer.”
Chris Dennis is the author of the story collection HERE IS WHAT YOU DO (Soho Press, 2019). His work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Paris Review, McSweeney's, Granta, Playgirl Magazine, Lit Hub, and Guernica. He holds a master's degree from Washington University in St. Louis, where he also received a postgraduate fellowship. He lives in Southern Illinois. Twitter: @ChrisDnns
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