Illustrations made for ‘The Cliff’ story, written by Alec Empire.

Jeff Antebi, founder of the record company Waxploitation, has spent the last 10 years collecting stories from musicians and artists for a “literary mixtape” of grown-up children’s stories.

Stories for Ways and Means isn’t a book for kids, though. The stories, written by the likes of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Bon Iver, Laura Marling, Jim James and more, feature “outre art, weird images, graphic displays of nasty stuff and cuss words.”

There are also a series of short films to accompany the book, narrated by Danny Devito, Zach Galifianakis, Nick Offerman, Phil LaMarr, King Krule and Lauren Lapkus.

Proceeds from the book will go to Room to Read and Pencils for Promise, two charities that build schools in poor regions of the world and promote children’s literacy.

Stories for Ways and Means is a limited-edition book, available on a first-come, first-served basis. The regular edition sells for $98 and 100 copies of “The Rare Rare Rare Exclusive Signed Edition,” with autographs from Nick Cave , Bon Iver and more, go for $500.

Stories for Ways and Means is available for pre-order now. If you pre-order before the book’s Dec. 12 release, you’ll get a free gift card. You can watch a trailer for the book below. Find the full list of participating musician and illustrator pairings beneath that.

Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan + Joe Coleman
Justin Vernon + Sage Vaughn
Nick Cave + Anthony Lister
Jim James + Jacob Escobedo
Frank Black + Kai & Sunny
Laura Marling + Maria Rivans
Amadou Bagayoko + Will Barras
Del the Funkee Homosapien + Ronzo
Spencer Krug + Sepe
John Vanderslice + James Jean
Gibby Haynes + Daniel Anum Jasper
Alec Empire + Lidia de Pedro
Kathleen Hanna + Clare Rojas
Devendra Banhart + Daniel Mun-Oz “San”
Eugene Hutz + Candice Tripp
Manuel “Guajira” Mirabal + Herakut
Elliphant + Calrin Diaz
Micachu + Kirsty Whiten
Song Yuzhe + Asha Zero
Alison Mosshart + Dan Baldwin
Satomi Matsuzaki of Deerhoof + Kyotaro
Jason Lytle + “Heisuke Kitazawa or PCP”
Orvar Smarason + Loa Hjalmrsdottir
Will Oldham + Swoon
Sera Cahoone + David Bray
Gary Numan + Cinta Vidal
Ernest Ranglin + Dave Kinsey
Matthew and Jennifer Dear + Josie Morway
Anna and Maria Von Hausswolff + Alessia Iannetti

This work will be exhibited at COREY HELFORD GALLERY from June 23rd – July 21st, 2018.

Inspiration
The story ‘The Clift’ written by Alec Empire
Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated by illustrated encyclopaedias. There is something about the colour palette and overall feel that they convey that has always stayed with me. This project provided the perfect context for me to take inspiration from these books and apply it to my own work.

Show Statement
The Cliff tells a story of youthful ambition and brashness, set on a dreamlike tropical island where the sea envelopes its inhabitants with a blanket of security, yet imprisons them all the same. No one ever questions their own lot of life nor the mindless boredom of their existence, playing games with rules long forgotten, until the protagonist boy’s curiosity leads him to quite literally unveil his wings. I was touched by the symbolism and message of the story and wanted to portray through my illustrations a dichotomy between colourful, idyllic island life and oppressing, psychedelic anticipation. I chose to illustrate some of the most imagery scenes from the story, often choosing to interweave them into each other in single surreal images, to convey the sense of timelessness that inhibits the islanders.