Eyeball High was commissioned by David Allan Miller and the Albany Symphony Orchestra and premiered at the Troy Savings Bank on November 19, 2004. The composition is a tone poem based on William Kennedy’s depiction of the notorious Prohibition-era New York gangster Jack “Legs” Diamond in his novel Legs.

In his life, Diamond deserted the army, hijacked trucks, bootlegged liquor, survived at least three shootings and 17 bullets, and became a celebrity of legendary status, beloved by both the public and the press. Eventually, he was murdered by multiple shots to the head, and his killers were never identified.

Kennedy sets the stage for his novel with a chilling prefatory quote from Eugene Ionesco: “People like killers. And if one feels sympathy for the victims, it’s by way of thanking them for letting themselves be killed.” From this premise, the book spins a story about humanity’s fascination with violence, and specifically, with one violent man. The characters close to Diamond, though occasionally repulsed by him, are primarily followers, drawn to the brutal charisma of their leader.

The title Eyeball High comes from a pivotal moment in the book when the narrator, Marcus Gorman—a lawyer working for Jack—first experiences the thrill of violence. Jack offers Marcus a chance to fire a machine gun. Initially hesitant to handle such a weapon of mass destruction, Marcus succumbs to the adrenaline rush after firing the Tommy gun for the first time. Enraptured by the excitement, Marcus becomes further enchanted by the vicarious experience of Jack’s brutality. In response to Marcus’s first shots, Jack exclaims, “Got him. Eyeball high.” When Jack asks, “How the hell did you do that?” Marcus replies, “It’s all a matter of the eyeball.”

Musically, Eyeball High explores the dual attraction and brutality of the Legs Diamond character. The score captures the atmosphere of nightclubs and speakeasies—often evoked through the sounds of 1920s ragtime—while also portraying the violent and powerfully evocative energy of Kennedy’s story. The piece has a crazed and aggressive edge that is both thrilling and unsettling. At the first major climax of the work, listeners will hear a striking musical allusion: the sound of the Tommy gun, symbolized by the ratchet in the percussion section.

Ultimately, Eyeball High serves as a window for reflection on humanity’s simultaneous attraction to and repulsion from brutality.