Stephen McClurg's Blog, page 18

Marginalia #47

This was a second or third time reread for me, but I’ve also used this as a reference for a few decades. I’m hoping to expand into the other volumes soon, which I’ve used for reference, but don’t think I’ve read cover-to-cover. I have always liked how Jones gets into the historical context and into specific arguments with more room than other surveys, since he was publishing this one in multiple volumes. I still enjoy shorter surveys meant for the general reader.

Denis’s adaptation of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd is stellar. Quiet and pulsing with contradictory emotions and textures. Denis Lavant is spectacular as he always seems to be.

This is a collection on Mubi, but if you enjoy experimental film than Tscherkassky is worth seeking out. High contrast and abstract re-edits of popular film collide with many techniques that deal with the medium itself–chopping, moving, blurring, projecting onto filmstrips, etc. His reworking of footage from The Entity in “Dream Work” and “Outer Space” are now absolute favorites of mine.

It was a blast to see all the re-issues of exotica albums back in the ’90s. One of the figures I discovered then was Yma Sumac, a unique singer, to say the least. I don’t know much about her except I believe her real name was Amy Camus and her whole Native mythology was fake. I had never seen videos of her until recently. This is a live duo performance for TV and it starts around 2:30.

Musicalia #61: Neither Subtle Nor Sharp

You can read the haiku, check out the playlist, and get links to hear it over at The Drunken Odyssey.

Marginalia #46

I decided to return to my survey of Aristotle, but thought I’d also check out a few commentaries. Adler’s is written for a general reader with interest in philosophy or Aristotle. Very readable, fun, and clear. If you’re looking for something more academic, check out Jonathan Barnes’s Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction, which feels like it’s written more for a freshman or sophomore philosophy class.

For fans of art film and cinema history. Smith influenced a wild mix of underground and popular artists, including John Waters, Andy Warhol, and even John Zorn. The doc goes into the story of why he didn’t technically finish any work after “Flaming Creatures” and developed a type of performance art while endlessly re-editing films.

I have been listening to this Barbara Lewis #1 hit from 1965 for the last few weeks. I’m in love with the vocal performance.

Musicalia #60: A Hard Card to Find

McClurg’s Musicalia #60: A Hard Card to Find

You can get the playlist, links, and haiku over at The Drunken Odyssey.

Marginalia #45

I discovered Weirdpunk Books last year while writing for Horror DNA. Something about their aesthetics and themes resonates with me. Sometimes it reminds me of the high/low friction in early David Cronenberg films (for example, ontology meets body horror). I feel like they are fulfilling some of the promises of the Dell/Abyss line that started pushing horror beyond the traditional paperback stories. That line died when the whole horror market crashed in the ’90s (so happy to see the re-appearance of Kathe Koja’s work). Feral Architecture features stories influenced by JG Ballard. If you like a mix of literary horror and body horror tinged with splatterpunk, it will be a fun read. I already plan to reread it soon. You can read my previous Weirdpunk reviews here and here.

Kind of like Wong Kar-wai’s version of Death Bed: The Bed That Eats. A set of vignettes that follow the life cycle of a being living in a mattress. I think. Felt like 80s sci-fi sometimes and like The Yellow Wallpaper in others. A cross-sample of fans might like both Under the Skin and Mad God.

I’m a big fan of Sade and I love this song, especially the live versions. At the end of this video is a moment where she introduces the band members—many of whom started the group in the ’80s. A beautiful song followed by grace, friendship, and love.

Marginalia #44

I read my kids The Little House books when they were little. At some point, they got obsessed with the show and I couldn’t help the nostalgia of the theme song and watched a few episodes with them. I kept thinking, “Why do I know ‘Charlotte Stewart’?” Then it clicked. Mary X from Eraserhead!

I happened to find this book a little later and picked it up. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, since I have low expectations for any kind of celebrity or artist autobiography. You get a little behind the scenes on several David Lynch projects and a look into the sex-and-drugs-fueled Hollywood system of the ’70s

Czech sci-fi based on Stanislaw Lem and one of the big influences on Kubrick’s 2001! I enjoyed it, though the mood is something other than Lem or Kubrick. It takes place in 2163, but is wholly about the fallout of WWII. I love the models used for special effects shots. The film had disappeared with only a modified cut in existence until a new one was found. I’ve been listening to a re-release of the music for a few years, but didn’t know about a new release of the movie until I saw it on Criterion. 

Two decades ago or so, a couple of friends and I used to crack each other up by quoting songs from this album. We loved it, but some of the lyrics and the delivery would just send us into laughter every time. It’s one of Reed’s most rocking albums. Robert Quine is jagged, yet sublime–one of my all-time favorite guitarists. Fernando Saunders plays Jaco-esque fills and harmonics in his fretless bass lines, and Doane Perry is a solid backbone for the whole thing.

Reed has always seemed like someone who wasn’t interested in crafting songs, but recording them in the old school sense of here is a record of something that happened–it’s done, time to move on. Sometimes you get brilliance, and sometimes you get howlers.

McClurg’s Musicalia #59: And the souls divided from themselves…

…is available over at The Drunken Odyssey where you can get a haiku, list, and links to the playlist.

McClurg’s Musicalia #58 Heat Death and Feral Architecture

A new playlist awaits those interested over at The Drunken Odyssey.

Marginalia #43

First time listen with headphones and I love hearing some previously unnoticed details in the arrangements. Though I was told repeatedly about the guitar playing, it never interested me. On this listen, I found it more exciting than in the past and I especially loved the guitar tones. “Inca Roads” is an all-time favorite–Zappa or otherwise.

You can hear the newest playlist, “The Widow’s Wall, The Widower’s Wind”, over at The Drunken Odyssey.

I have a new recording that you can read about and listen to here.

New Sounds: the Abdomen: Preparing the Ghost

Ryan has always pushed me into exploring avenues of improvisation I may not have otherwise, and this album is no exception: improvising with another person not in the room with you. More for folks interested in experimental, noise, and improv genres.

From the description:

For this session, Stephen and Ryan (collectively known as the Abdomen) improvised multiple pieces of music at the same time (9AM) on the same morning (Saturday, Jan 2, 2024), but in separate cities (Stephen, Birmingham, and Ryan, Chickasaw, both Alabama). There were predetermined time cues and “mood” or “vibe” suggestions, including silences between pieces. Then, the tracks were thrown on top of one another. The players did not see or hear each other as they performed the pieces.

credits

released January 2, 2024

Stephen McClurg- guitar, sounds, mix, artwork
Ryan Jetten- noise, objects