Stephen McClurg's Blog, page 14

Musicalia #82: We Are No Archipelago

Over at The Drunken Odyssey, you can get the playlists, poem, and links.

Marginalia #50: Breece D’J Pancake, What a Way to Go!, Guy Klucevsek with Mister Rogers

Breece D’J Pancake hailed from West Virginia and writes like an Appalachian blend of Ernest Hemingway and early Cormac McCarthy, infused with the dark humor of Denis Johnson. While reading this collection, Jesus’ Son by Johnson often came to mind, possibly influenced by Pancake.

Pancake’s writing is both gorgeous and devastating, capturing the lives and deaths of people in Appalachia with a raw, poignant clarity. His stories, only twelve in total, were mostly published in The New Yorker. Despite this success, Pancake tragically committed suicide in 1979. I’m unsure if there is any other work available from him.

I stumbled upon a gem in the Shirley MacLaine Collection that I hadn’t heard of before. What caught my eye was a still of a room painted floor-to-ceiling in a vibrant purple-pink hue. This movie features an impressive cast, including Paul Newman, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Mitchum, Gene Kelly, and Dean Martin, among others. Edith Head’s costumes are glorious, and the production design is outrageous and fun.

The movie itself is delightfully goofy. MacLaine’s character becomes a multi-millionaire because her husbands achieve fame and fortune, but each meets an untimely death related to their work. Believing she’s cursed, she seeks help from a psychiatrist and decides to give away her wealth. It’s fun, goofy, and often a visual treat.

I circle back to Guy Klucevsek’s music every few years. I had never seen this clip from Mister Roger’s in which you can hear both his phenomenal playing and composing.

I make a weekly playlist for The Drunken Odyssey. The most recent Musicalia is available here.

I recently got to go back to the Film Maudit 2.0 festival and reviewed two whole piles of surreal and weird shorts. Part one is here and part two is available here.

Musicalia #81: Bladderjacked By the Cutullan Postman and Other Modern Calamities

You can get this week’s playlist, links, and poem over at The Drunken Odyssey.

At Horror DNA: Film Maudit 2.0–The Shorts (Part Two)

My last report of the year from Film Maudit 2.0 is now up over at Horror DNA.

At Horror DNA: FIlm Maudit 2.0–The Shorts (Part One)

I was very excited to get to go back to Film Maudit 2.0 this year thanks to Horror DNA. Part One of my shorts rundown is now available.

Musicalia #80: Shave That Dog!

You can get the new Musicalia playlist, links, and couplet over at The Drunken Odyssey!

At Horror DNA: Keratyna

Your Reptilian Overlords got you down? Try some Keratyna, a feature shown at this year’s Panic Fest.

At Horror DNA: In a Violent Nature

I’ve got a review of the slow-gore slasher In a Violent Nature over at Horror DNA.

Musicalia #79: In the Sweat and Dew of Pyramids and Lilacs

You can get the playlist, links, and Bloomsday limerick over at The Drunken Odyssey!

At Horror DNA: The House of Last Resort

You can read the review over at Horror DNA.