Podcast
Headmistress Ursula
Simone Fairfax is possessed by the devil, and a stranger has arrived at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies, but right now we are going to take a trip down memory lane to Headmistress Ursula’s young adulthood in Shanghai and the stranger she met and how he changed her life, and not for the better!
Mutable Sound Chicago, Illinois Mutable Sound is an online gallery for sound and word located in Chicago, IL. We are dedicated to publishing works in all genres, from the dense and inextricable to the light-hearted and absurd, and release albums that are experiments more than anything else, without being particularly experimental.
Arthur Miller, wherefore art thou? Very probably turning over in your grave at this minimalist interpretation of your classic play by Mutable’s own Gabriel Boyer, done in the same manner as it was done for Bedroom Theater some six years ago to an audience of two. This is the first of two installments of the Crucible. Enjoy the antiquated language, the muppet-like voices, the Morton Feldman score, and general witchery with the knowledge that you are safe several centuries in the future of these dramatically reproduced historical events, a time when you can laugh, cry, and reproduce at your leisure. To hear the second installment go here.
As read by Mutable’s own Gabriel Boyer.
The narrator’s true form
Simone still remains in the infirmary, her mind becoming less and less her own, and more and more a place populated by demons, while Boo Boo and the boy from the preparatory school down the lane look on, but we will not witness this scene today because the narrator is currently in the midst of a struggle himself, a polite conversation between his own will and that of the Dark Lord, while the Headmistress and her staff give Jack’s childhood friend a warm welcome in the front hall.
Mutable Sound Chicago, Illinois Mutable Sound is an online gallery for sound and word located in Chicago, IL. We are dedicated to publishing works in all genres, from the dense and inextricable to the light-hearted and absurd, and release albums that are experiments more than anything else, without being particularly experimental.
Butcher Billy before his head injury.
The year is 1903 and something has happened to the narrator, and Satan is very definitely in control of the story. Simone is floating above her bed and saying horrible things in a strange voice, while down below Butcher Billy is receiving a warm welcome in the front hall. Also, in case you’ve forgotten, Grammar Instructor Gundrun is slowly transforming into a more demonic being, and Handyman Jack is a cannibalist. At some point in the below episode, Archibald the Professor of Arcane Knowledge uses his powers to transport Butcher Billy out onto the moors. Keep this in mind.
Mutable Sound Chicago, Illinois Mutable Sound is an online gallery for sound and word located in Chicago, IL. We are dedicated to publishing works in all genres, from the dense and inextricable to the light-hearted and absurd, and release albums that are experiments more than anything else, without being particularly experimental.
Boo Boo in a moment of pique.
The Narrator is acting strangely, but why? Don’t worry. It’s unimportant. Even if you think it’s actually the most important thing, you are quite wrong. Actually, what you should be paying attention to is the portal that’s opened up behind the young scholar Simone’s head for it is a portal into Hell itself, one that is crying out for it will have the girls Simone and, dare I sat it? Boo Boo?
Mutable Sound Chicago, Illinois Mutable Sound is an online gallery for sound and word located in Chicago, IL. We are dedicated to publishing works in all genres, from the dense and inextricable to the light-hearted and absurd, and release albums that are experiments more than anything else, without being particularly experimental.
Today is a free for all of whatever music we feel like playing. If you have a request just send it psychically to us in the past, while here in the present, Gabe will be reading from various situationist comic strips for Book You! this week, not to mention Gabe’s Guide to Getting Lost. Also, this week, the pipes are angry because Gabe is about to head out to Eugene, OR, and Malcolm is about to go on tour (as Lineland) and with Animal Hospital, all of which means this will be our last podcast (though episodes of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies will continue to be posted weekly for those of you who have become addicted to this touching tale), which means that at last we are free, and we can hardly see in front of us. Indeed.
This is the podcast you’re going to want to listen to only once, those albums you get at the record store and you’re like whoa, and then you never listen to them again. These songs are like strange dreams that you tell your friends, and make Gabe think of the strangeness of life and the strangeness of fiction, about who we are, and we’re going, and why we’re going there, which may be partially because Gabe is about to move to Eugene, OR to work as a wildland fire-fighter, which he really thought he would never do a second time, while Malcolm once went to a laser light show which was terrible, but he’s glad he went the one time to get it over with, although most of Gabe’s stories of things he is glad he only did once are not for virgin ears and so if you want to hear his humiliating tales write to mail@mutablesound.com. At some point in the hour Gabe has a breakdown concerning the fact that he and Malcolm in fact listen to many of these one-time albums over and over again, and Malcolm cannot believe that Gabe is actually afraid that Van Dyke Parks could perhaps listen to this podcast and come away with the belief that we do not hold him in the highest esteem, which would be false. This week for Book You! we read I Was a Teeny-Bopper for the CIA, by Ted Mark. Listen to the podcast from start to finish, and you’ll hear Gabe use the word “periphery” once too often.
Menehune Santa
Another themed podcast this week. This week we are going to be doing story songs, or songs that tell a story. We live lives that are stories in themselves, although the never-ending story, or rather eventually it ends but Gabe won’t be around to see the credits, but there sure are a wide range of story songs, from first person story of my life sort of thing, to third person, to back and forth dialogue, and we explore them in traditional british folk, country western, soul music and on the whole a lot of sad songs, though sometimes these tears aren’t tears of sorrow, but tears of joy at some absurd rendition of another’s suffering, from death row to blindness to those who are checking out when others are checking in. She was supposed to be at home minding the kids, but alas she was at the motel. Gabe and Malcolm argue about whether Famous Blue Raincoat qualifies as a story song, and then of course, there’s our own story, Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies, still running with episode 22 this week, in which you’ll find demon possession on all sides and a tryst interrupted midcoitus, and for Book You! this week Gabe reads from a collection of short stories by George Saunders called In Persuasion Nation.
In your headphones, in your speakers, in your heart, we play music. This week is dedicated to hip hop, so if you don’t like the rap music you might want to skip this week, but if you do, you might want to turn it up! For this week on Book You, Gabe reads from I Paid My Dues by Babs Gonzales. Gabe wants to send his throat to its room without dinner. We would like to put out a disclaimer this week, some listener discretion is advised.
Don’t let me down tomorrow, you. We’re living in a fantasyland of our own creation made up of nostalgia. What about you? Gabe can’t wait till we get to hell. What about you? On the 10th of April Gabe’s book A Survey of My Failures This Far will be released and on the 1st Big Trouble in Little China by the Liszts will be released. What about you? This week’s Book You features a reading from David Lee Roth’s autobiography, Crazy from the Heat. Felder of the Dark Cloth, what about you?
Remember way back when… Of course Malcolm and Gabe remember. Throughout the last few shows there has been much reminiscing, but also much taking too seriously, and during this show perhaps a little less. Post-punk? Grunge? Retro? Yay! Gabe is living in the 90’s, as are the people of Eugene where Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies was Recorded. “Thereby by the grace of God, go I.” For Book You! this week Gabe reads from Kurt Cobain’s favorite book, Perfume, by Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. Gabe almost fell through the earth in the 90’s. What about you? Both Malcolm and Gabe have enjoyed watching Friends recently just for its nostalgia factor (no cell phones), and are now convinced the 90’s saw a “renaissance of humor”, although honestly that’s nothing compared to other more notorious renaissances, of Harlem and Florence to name just two.
Malcolm and Gabe are continuing their tip of the hat to the Facebook phenomenon and specifically what is commonly known as the List Phenomenon, and this week it is the list of songs that changed the way Gabe thinks about music, a sort of musical autobiography. From high school and Thelonius Monk, to Daniel Johnston at the office, is it possible that Gabe has lived his life solely for the purpose of creating the perfect mix tape? From Malcolm and Gabe’s first meeting at the Coolidge Corner Movietheater, to cokeheads in Brooklyn and raw sewage shooting out of the toilet, to the year Gabe wouldn’t leave the couch. This week for Book You, Gabe reads from his own A Survey of My Failures this Far, to be released by Mutable Sound on April 10th, the release party to be held at Quimby’s in Wicker Park, Chicago, at 7 pm, with the cover band, Normal Feelings. And of course another episode of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies.
Another week in your ears. Malcolm has been getting inundated by invitations to write his favorite records of all-time on Facebook. Apologies for even mentioning Facebook, but be that as it may, some people have lists concerning music that shaped their lives, which is something like ripping your skin off. Instead of playing his favorite records, however, Malcolm is going to play records he thinks you should own that you probably don’t. Gabe’s life has been full of discoveries, of an aural, visual, and tactile variety. Among Malcolm’s favorite discoveries was Bruce Haack, while for Gabe perhaps it was the french film, Fantastic Planet. A whole new dimension to hearing? Your legs are gone? Speaking of legs, it’s interesting the different directions the different Beatles took when they split up. This week, for Book You, Gabe reads from The Idler’s Glossary by Joshua Glenn, published last year through Biblioasis. Gabe thinks one of Malcolm’s purposes on this globe is to educate people concerning the world of sound, although Malcolm finds this to be a bit presumptuous and describes himself instead as the creepy guy at the record store. The podcast ends with episode seventeen of the radioplay, Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies.
George Carlin had something to say about the making of war, but here at Mutable Sound we are curious what the men and women of the street have to say about it. Gabe’s Guide to Winning in a Fight is this week, although his only advice is to run. He does have a very well-built younger brother who enjoys lifting him up by his slender frame and rubbing sweat all over him while Gabe punches him in the back as hard as he can. Fighting as children? Malcolm remembers having a baby sitter who used to bully him as a young boy, and what happened? Why is Lunch Mothers not a band name? Is the IRA still around? Is Benny Hill Irish? Is Benny Hill a better enemy than the Taliban? A truly strange episode of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies. Malcolm is waging a psychic war against the postal service. Gabe reads from The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon for Book You. If you are a creative person, please feel free to send us your jingle for Book You. Gabe tells compromising stories of his younger brother’s uncontrollable rage as a young tyke. In closure, Gabe talks about his time in the choir school, The Pupil Patrol, his career as a porn-dealer, and his style travesties of the period.
Our surreal lives made more surreal by these crazy economic times. Malcolm’s creative energies are blossoming during this time, much like under the Weimar Republic. I don’t know what to do with my life, says Malcolm, while all Gabe remembers of A Clockwork Orange are the milk-dispensing breasts, which of course causes Malcolm to exclaim that he feels we’re bringing the good times back. Tammy Faye Bakker sings as well as weeps, but not on our show she don’t, but what if we could couple Kate Bush with Scott Walker to create the ultimate singing machine? I am music, says Malcolm. We are up to episode 15 of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies made at the art factory that is Mutable Sound. For Book You, this week Gabe reads from The Four Elements, by Benjamin Peret. Gabe talks of surreal moments, both his own and other people’s, and would love to hear yours. Write to him at mail@mutablesound.com. The podcast ends with Gabe’s Guide to Bringing the Spice Back into your Life.
Love is in the air. In our hearts we sing of love. Love, love, love. Often mistook for another four-letter word, and speaking of misplaced four letter words, this week for Book You, Gabe reads from Love Letters from a Nobleman to his Sister by Aphra Behn (1640-1689). Writing as she did during the swinging renaissance, a lot like the 1970’s, Behn at one time worked as a spy for Charles II, as well as having a long-time affair with notorious rake, lawyer, and possible bi-sexual, John Hoyle. An interesting woman. Awkward romantic moments? Gabe took a date to mass once, which was awkward. There are so many films you should not take a date to, such as Short Cuts, Naked, and Last Tango in Paris, while in other news, this Valentine’s Day Mutable Sound had a baby, Animal Hospital’s Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues. We think it’s good. You should buy it! In Gabe’s Guide to Accepting Rejection, he recommends our listeners to face the horror. Goodnight.
February is like a miniature dark age every year. Feel free to write to us at mail@mutablesound.com. Gabe has been reading a lot, and listening to Lilith, by George MacDonald, a post of which is up now! Animal Hospital’s new album will be released on the fourteenth of this month. The theme for the week is authenticity, a word which Gabe barely understands.The eighties were certainly far from pure, but there was some purely synthetic music that came out of the eighties. For Book You, Gabe reads from The Green Hills of Elsewhere, by Thomas Frank, editor-in-chief of the Baffler, founded right here in Chicago, though now published out of Washington, D.C. The article in question was published in another periodical, however, the late great Hermenaut, though still existing as a blog aggregator at hermenaut.org. Malcolm always thought the postal service was part of our heritage, but now it’s really sad. Gabe used to get collages in the mail, and now nothing. And what of the switch from candle light to flourescent light? Advertisements are discussed, from ABC to Pepsi. We can change the world, but what will happen in 2012? Malcolm is optimistic, but no, Gabe is talking about the apocalypse. Adam Sandler in an Aztec romantic comedy? The show ends with Gabe’s guide to really sincerely being himself.
From the AV-aerie in Chicago, come the voices of Malcolm, Geof, and Gabe, as well as the occasional sputter of 45 or mp3. We are feeling the chills, miss the beach, and will talk about favorite witch-hunts this week. Could the political correctness of the 90’s be considered a witch-hunt? Eisenhower smoked corn silk? Gabe always feels there are people with stakes out there waiting to drive them through his chest. Frankenstein is like a disease that kills the pure innocent child and the diseased. In episode twelve of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies we learn a little more about Handyman Jack and his dark past. Just to clarify, Wiccans are in no way related to cannibalism. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is read for Book You.
Geof is a guest dj again for our Brazilian-music-only podcast this week like harpies tearing at Gabe’s flesh, but a beautiful tearing at the flesh. Oyvind Fahlstrom was born in Brazil, although ethnically Swedish, and the author for this week’s segment of Book You. Geof and Malcolm tell of their fond memories from Brazil, as well as the seedy underbelly neither one had anything to do with, but have learned much of through the wonder of such films as City of God, and of course, the next episode of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies. The steam radiator was invented to heat greenhouses, but Malcolm finds the negative association of the term greenhouse gasses unfortunate. Also, Gabe’s Guide to Goiter Removal.
Who is this new face? Geof is the guest dj for the week. Bed-wetting is discussed, and Gabe describes potential scenario involving crystalized tears. Be glad Gabe never owned a gun, Malcolm has to learn to love the machine, and Gabe admits he would never date anyone who ever knew Frank Sinatra. Are we in the cold part of hell? Geof says it is like riding in a giant marshmallow made out of wicking fabric. There’s murder, and then there’s jail, and there’s love in both of them. This week for Book You, Gabe reads from The Book of the Courtier by Baldesar Castiglione to ring in the new administration, the inauguration being this week of course, which is very exciting. Obama is a Chicagoan after all. Also, Mutable Sound’s first official product is to be released on February 14th, Good or Plenty, Streets + Avenues, by old friend Animal Hospital, and also in the next month, the 965 page book, A Survey of My Failures this Far, by Gabe himself. Gabe’s Guide to Good Vibes is this week, in which he tells you how to have fun without actually having fun, and of course episode ten of Twilight at the Lady Jane Grey College for Little Ladies. Listen to Gabe loudly crunching corn chips.
