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.”

Imagine you are an unwanted milkshake.

Put shaving cream on your head
and do the dishes.
Respond in terza rima.

What is in your lunchbox?
Answer with a dirty limerick.

Describe a zebra laughing
or a donut crying.

Light a coffee.
Drink a cigarette.
Bake your own cliché.

What is a lemon shard cake?
Explain in a prose poem.

What if you’re going to write a story
about a widower and a scar?
Set your story near a tennis court.

In 300 words, write about “sizzle.”

Use the following words in a story:
kryptonite, Mister Mxyzptlk, spinach, gonorrhea.

Write from the point of view of a baby picture
in the glovebox of a ’78 Tercel
in the lot of a body shop next to the cemetery
by the truck stop near the highway.

An Unwanted Milkshake

Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “Touch of Evil (Main Title)” – Henry Mancini
2. “Goatnoggin” – Goat, human language
3. “Andromeda” – Patricia Brennan
4. “Jamieson’s Favourite” – Caoimhe Hopkinson
5. “Cloudy” – Jim White
6. “Room And Window” – Wednesday Knudsen
7. “Stepping” – Jim White
8. “Runaway Child (Live)” – Dave Gisler Trio
9. “4” – Pita
10. “Music for French Horn and Drainpipe (Live)” – Phil Manzazera, Andy Mackay
11. “Books About UFOs” – Hüsker Dü
12. “Deep Down in the Valley” – Ruth Welcome
13. “Nostalgia in Times Square” – Charles Mingus
14. “Dance School” – The Detroit Emeralds

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.