Every issue of Esopus includes a thematic audio compilation of new songs by a range of musical acts. Subjects for these CDs ranged from “Ouija”—musicians were each given a Ouija board to create a track based on their experiences with it—to “Spam,” contributors based their compositions on a piece of junk email they’d received. The themes for several of these CDs came from the Esopus subscriber invitationals, for which the magazine would ask its readers to submit material (pieces of writing, family photographs, etc.) that could then be used by contributors to inspire music (or, in some cases, artworks, screenplays, or other creations). For Esopus 4, readers sent in descriptions of their childhood imaginary friends, which served as the basis for songs by musicians including Kate Pierson (The B-52s), Kimya Dawson (The Moldy Peaches), and Jon Langford (The Mekons).
Select a track below to listen and learn more about the friends, or listen to the album in full above.