​Six Pistols and a Dagger, Mood Music.

Alright, so let's talk about the music I was listening to when I wrote Six Pistols and a Dagger, Smokepit Fairytales Part VI. But first, a little in-depth background behind character development.


Before we go any further, SPOILERS.

On top of being a continuation of the journey the characters from Chainsmoke Your Problems Away, and Mourn the Liquid Dew of Youth, Six Pistols and a Dagger is a reflection of the life of Edward Teach (sometimes recorded as Thatch), who you might know better as Black Beard, and Shakespeare's MacBeth. Now, I have been planning this plotline for a hot minute. In the second installment of Smokepit Fairytales, when Penelope tells Hank that she's pregnant she says she's thinking of naming him Edward Thatch. Yes, everything that happened in the previous two books were building up to this book.
Another little fun fact for you, in real life Black Beard was hunted down by a Lt Maynard and killed by one of his men who history only remembers as "A highlander." Sources differ on the fight where Black Beard died, but he was shot eight to twenty times and stabbed at least twenty times, then kept fighting until a highlander came up from behind him and cut off his head. Yeah, I didn't make that up. Google that shit. There can be only one. Another note on that is O'Con's main men are McCloud and Ramirez. 

Short rant there, let's get into the mood music. 

Jolly Roger, Roger McGuinn

A simple song about piracy and life dedicated to committing grand larceny on the high seas.

Encounters In Space, Richie Kotzen

This song's from the soundtrack to the original Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy. There could be an argument made for the lyrics having some connections, but this is just a good space song, and the book takes place in space. so.... space.
Speaking of that.

Moonage Daydream, David Bowie
Another great song with a sci-fi feel. This one too is about the music.

Distress Signal, Lazerhawk
This one too is an instrumental, but I feel like this one would be more fit for something that was happening in port in the lighter parts fo the story.

Drunken Sailor, Roger McGuinn
This one should be self-explanatory as an old sea shanty.

Fifteen Men on a Deadman's Chest, Salt Sea Pirates
There's a part in the book where Thatch and Stockton find an abandoned ship who's crew is all dead seemingly from an in-fight. That's loosely based on the descriptions in this song.

Saturn, Bringer of Old Age, Holst
This is a slow-burning, bone-chilling song. I think it would capture the eeriness of when the crew was hiding in the clouds on Saturn.

The Gruesome Death of Edward Teach, Scissor Fight
I explained this one earlier, it's about Black Beard. It's also a brutal song about pirates that kicks ass.

Beautiful Runaway
This is the theme song from an old Soviet sci-fi series. This is another that has a deep melancholy sci-fi feel to it which I think fits right in.

Atlantic City, Bruce Springsteen
This isn't a sci-fiish song, nor is it about pirates. So, what's it doing here? Buckle up.
When Thatch and the crew were facing off against the sub, the American commander was pretty much playing chicken stalling for time, and since sailors live on their ships, well, Thatch blew up the chicken man last night, and he blew up his house too.
Boardwalks are just big decks, ships have decks, and they were all getting ready for a fight, and piracy is a racket, we're going to see what those racket boys can do. Also, speaking of pirates, they didn't belong to a nation, so that trouble was coming in from out of state.
Stockton and Chuck were killed, and a few books back it was reasonable to think Hank and Penelope were dead, well, everything dies baby that's a fact, and seeing as how in some form they all returned, well everything that dies someday comes back. So put your make up on, and fix your hair up pretty. And meet me tonight in Atlantic City.