Sublime eclectic mayhem. That’s been my playlist project and musical life, one that begins with The Muppet Movie soundtrack and later involves performing hymns, death metal, surf, and bluegrass. I’ve played in theaters, tents, and basements, for multi-stage festivals and squirrel rodeos. I’ve written and recorded music for The Drunken Odyssey. Sublime eclectic mayhem. A warning and a welcome for joyous noise, for those navigating what Beckett called “this bitch of an earth.”

Pchum Ben

We chanted 
with the frying 
of the rain 
on the metal roof 
of the temple 
and drank coconut milk 
while the saffroned monks 
drank warm Cokes.

This was the body, 
this the fish sauce, 
these the robes.

This was the rain 
whispering 
while balls of rice, 
thrown to seven generations, 
dissolved in the drizzle 
like little skulls 
feeding the bodies, 
feeding the ghosts.

This Was the Rain

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “Funky Music (Is A Part Of Me)” – Luther Vandross
2. “Cosmonauts” – Alessandro Alessandroni
3. “Quest for Crest” – Simon Hanes
4. “Hydrogen Atom” – Bedlam 4
5. “Naufragio (Bolero Son)” – Ramito
6. “Space Bubble” – Piero Montanari
7. “Power (Live)” – Helloween
8. “Iyami Oshoronga” – Marcela Lucatelli, Lars Bech Pilgaard, Anders Vestergaard
9. “Selam Karadenize” – Derdiyoklar Ikilisi
10. “Yenikah” – Secret Chiefs 3
11. “How You Hold Me” – Desert Center Country Band
12. “índia” – Orquestra Afro-Brasileira [“Liberdad” on Spotify]
13. “Remains” – Chris Brown, Ben Davis, William Winant, Zeena Parkins
14. “Descent” – Black Aleph
15. “Not Reconciled” – Bill Orcutt
16. “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter” – James P. Johnson

Stephen McClurg (Episode 473) composes and improvises in Serenity Dagger, The Abdomen, and other projects. Along with session work for mid-Alabama singer/songwriters, he frequently collaborates with musicians across the state adding bass, guitar, and synths to friends’ recordings. He currently writes reviews for Horror DNA and is the substitute low end wrangler for Mobile-based punk rock band Future Hate. You can find out more about his work here.