Ten years ago, Jeff Antebi, the founder of the record company Waxploitation, asked musicians and contemporary painters to collaborate on a collection of children’s stories for grown-ups. Today, you can find the fruits of their labor collected in a new, 350-page book project called Stories for Ways & Means. The book features tales by Tom Waits (above), Nick Cave, Bon Iver, The Pixies’ Frank Black and other artists. (Note: the stories contain “outre art, weird images, graphic displays of nasty stuff and cuss words.”) Also, you can now watch a series of short promo films where celebs like Danny Devito, Zach Galifianakis and Nick Offerman read items in the collection.
As a quick weekend treat, we’ve highlighted some of those readings on this page. More readings can be viewed here. Proceeds from Stories for Ways & Means (purchase a copy here) will support NGOs and nonprofits advancing children’s causes around the world, including Room to Read, Pencils of Promise, and 826 National.
Danny Devito Reads “Doug the Bug” by Frank Black
Zach Galifianakis Reads “Next Big Thing” by Gibby Haynes
“The Lonely Giant” by Nick Cave, Read by Andre Royo (aka Bubbles from The Wire)
“Wishing Well Fountain,” Written and Narrated by Alison Mosshart
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