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.”

A Thin Glory

Suppose peace came in the form
of a needle in a camel’s eye.

Suppose the same needle 
was used to pin a ribbon on the dress
of a six-year-old girl
in a school hit by a tornado.

Suppose that needle now lies 
in a ball of cotton in a museum.

Suppose a needle sews itself 
into a doll’s mouth in a stop-motion film.

There’s no proverbial haystack here,
just a pile of mannequin arms, thorns, ribbon,

and one needle that can always be found.

A Thin Glory

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “San Lazaro” – Ramito, Los Mensajeros Del Bien
2. “Seven Golden Men” – Armando Trovajoli
3. “Hifi” – Neighbourly
4. “Flickers in the Air of Night” – Kara-lis Coverdale
5. “This Bitter Earth” – Dinah Washington
6. “Lycanthropus (Suspense Lento)” – Armando Trovajoli
7. “Locked” – Decapitated
8. “Higher Love” – John Harle, Dux Content
9. “Sycamore Trees” – Shane Parish
10. “Uninvited Guest” – Jerry Goldsmith, The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
11. “Mawoud” – Adil Al Ramli
12. “Subiduki” – Blanco Teta
13. “I Was Just A Piece Of Frozen Sky Anyway” – Jonathan Richman
14. “In Cursive (Live)” – Bitter Calm
15. “Words Fall Short” – Joshua Redman
16. “Stasis” – Windsor For The Derby
17. “Bartosz Kowalski-Banasewicz: Lacrimosa” – Polsji Chór Kameralny, Jan Łukaszewski, Polish Chamber Choir
18. “Supernatural Breakfast” – Death and Vanilla

Stephen McClurg (Episode 473 & 666) 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.