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.”

Who’s There?

When we were both supposed to be sleeping,
we would knock on our shared wall in a code
unknown even to ourselves. When it lost its charm,
we would crawl to the doors and whisper until late.

Now and then, I roll over and knock on the wall 
and listen. It’s like tuning into a radio station 
broadcasting when the family I knew from birth 
still held on to the Earth. 

Sometimes, I hear the dry shake of a newspaper, 
the rasp of the shoe polish brush, or the office
door closing. I hear the exact pings and slides 
of pans shifted in cabinets or set on burners. 

Sometimes, I can almost hear a child’s fingers,
still indecipherable, tapping on the other side of time.

Who Is There?

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “Dragon Dance” – Norrie Paramor and His Orchestra
2. “Monsieur Kannibal” – Siw Malmkwist
3. “Mr Big” – The Dils
4. “realcocainemuzak” – Bodybox
5. “DNM” – MK.gee
6. “Thin White Line” – Avengers
7. “Set Your Spirit Free” – Sault
8. “Everything is unreal” – Astrid Sonne
9. “This Flower Will Fade and Die” – Paul de Jong
10. “My Three Moons (For Rosalind Franklin” – Michael Manring
11. “Ein Mann Muss Nicht Immer Schön Sein” – Alice Babs
12. “La Diabla” – Xavi
13. “Les Choéphores, Op.24: IV. Présages” – Leonard Bernstein
14. “Backstreet Luv (Live)” – Curved Air
15. “Mona” – Barry Blue
16. “Vó Jura” – Caxtrinho
17. “Bodo” – Mamman Sani
18. “If I Could Just Hold Out Until Tomorrow” – Brother Theotis Taylor

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.