Should music, art, and culture reflect the times we’re living in, or should they offer a kind of refuge, a reverse image of the moment that brings us comfort?
This week on The Search for Skip James, we lean into the darkness rather than away from it. The world feels heavy, uncertain, and charged with fear, and so the music follows suit. This is a set rooted in the blues, stripped back, jazz-soaked, and wrapped in the raw, lo-fi textures you’d expect. It’s not music that tries to escape the moment. It sits with it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the work of Adam Curtis, whose BBC documentaries are as artistically arresting as they are unsettling. My introduction to his films was HyperNormalisation, which I first saw at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland back in 2017. I remember watching it in the half packed first floor theater and clocking the reactions around me, uncomfortable laughter, stunned silence, blank stares. Recently, my wife and I watched Curtis’s latest series, Shifty. The strange B-roll and archival footage, paired with his narrative voice, feel both like art and accusation, a pointed look behind the curtain at how we got here… wherever “here” is. If you haven’t explored his work yet, I highly recommend it. The films are on YouTube, and the soundtracks alone are worth the dive.
Adam Curtis - HyperNormalisation
That spirit carries directly into this week’s set. You’ll hear one of my favorite Sun Ra tracks, including my favorite live version of “Nuclear War.” One of the many perks of broadcasting from Shady Pines Radio is the freedom to let the F-bombs fly, because who doesn’t love a little righteous cursing over a free-jazz backdrop?
At the heart of the show are two versions of “Hellhound on My Trail.” The song is most famously associated with Robert Johnson, whose shadow looms large over my love of pre-war Delta blues. The mystery of his life, his sound, and the mythology that surrounds him feel as punk rock as it gets. Alongside Johnson’s original, we hear a version from Peter Green–era Fleetwood Mac—yes, that Fleetwood Mac, long before Buckingham and Nicks, when the band was driven by the pure blues genius of Peter Green.
The set moves freely, from Beefheart to Coltrane, from Gil Scott-Heron to Angel Bat Dawid—tracing a line through fear, resistance, sorrow, and survival.
As we close out the week, let’s also take a moment to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—the King himself. Be kind to one another. Take care of each other. And keep the turntable spinning.
Set List
Until next week: drop a comment below, send the show to a friend, and subscribe if you haven’t already.
Thanks for listening.
— DJ Lofi
