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.”

Better Never

No farms near this greasy air,
the queasy chair of progress
roasted with the red beans,
a tournament of greens,
and a houndstooth prayer.

A frequent sacrificial calf
led to the boil, led with the chains,
sweeping away all the pain  
from every doorstep.

The worst promotion,
a curdled commotion,
until the ropes come out,
overriding any goodwill,
quashing any clout.

Better Never
Listen on Tidal. Listen on Spotify.

1. “Crazy Baby” – Phillip Mallela, J.B. Express
2. “Maritime Studies” – Slow Tiger
3. “Kadodi Season Nine” – DJ Jeff the Lastborn
4. “Pencils of Color (Live at Close Up)” – Carmen Quill
5. “Absence (ft. Mark Dresser)” – Sara Schoenbeck
6. “And Now, Old Serpent, How Do You Feel?” – Mrs. Morris Austin
7. “String Quartet No. 3: II. Moderato” – Momenta Quartet
8. “White Rose” – Dana Lyn, Patricia Brennan, Noel Brennan
9. “DDT” – Chris Van Noorst Van Beest Trio
10. “Paleomagnetic Resonance – Lustmord, Dave Lombardo
11. “Strung Across A Zone” – Borja Díaz, Anthony Pateras, Marco Serrato
12. “Ex elf ” – viragezero
13. “Dance Music For 4 Saxophones #3” – Lenny Pickett

Stephen McClurg (Episode 473 & 666, & Sirens of Verse #2) 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.