# Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition

The Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition debuted in 2017 as a part of the Waywords and Meansigns project, setting James Joyce's Finnegans Wake to music. The Opendoor Edition features over 100 artists and musicians performing unabridged passages of Finnegans Wake. An open edition participants are invited to contribute to the Opendoor Edition on an ongoing basis. The edition first premiered on May 4, 2017.
The genres in the Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition are quite diverse, ranging from metal and industrial to folk and jazz. Many tracks are experimental; some recordings adhere to fairly traditional song formats, while others offer audiobook-like readings with ambient accompaniment.

## Background

The Waywords and Meansigns project began in 2014 to set James Joyce's Finnegans Wake to music unabridged. They released two unabridged editions of the text in 2015 and 2016. Over 300 people have been involved in Wayords and Meansigns since 2014.
The Waywords and Meansigns Opendoor Edition features contributors from 15 countries in "an all-star cast of weirdos." The music is often experimental; the musicians' only requirements were that "the words be audible, unabridged and more or less in their original order." All audio from the project is distributed freely online under Creative Commons licensing.
Contributors to Waywords and Meansigns are a self-described collection of "musicians, artists, poets, scholars, weirdos, passionate Wake-heads, those ignorant of the Wake, and anyone generally adventurous." Artists participating in the Opendoor Edition include Krzysztof Bartnicki, Martyn Bates, John Wolf Brennan, Neil Campbell, Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth and Lou Rogai of Lewis & Clarke, Joe Cassidy of Butterfly Child, Hayden Chisholm, S.A. Griffin; Kinski, Ulrich Krieger, Jason Sebastian Russo, David Moss, Monica Queen, Schneider TM, Sally Timms, Mike Watt, and many more.
The Guardian has highlighted the project for making Joyce's famously difficult novel more accessible. Finn Fordham, a James Joyce scholar at Royal Holloway, University of London, has called the project "wonderfully innovative."

## Track listing

Tracks are organized by page and line number, followed by the artist name, and then occasionally followed by the track's nickname.
Chapter 1 (pp. 003–029)    003-010.24 - The Here Comes Everybody Players    003.01-003.09 - Hervé Michel and the box sets    003.01-003.14 - Roman Tsivkin and the box sets    010.25-016.09 - Chris Rael    013.20-015.11 - Peter Chrisp and the box sets    018.17-021.04 - John Cerreta - "Stoop to Prittle"    023.16-024.14 - Nigel Bryant - "O Foenix Culprit"    027.22-029.36 - Cedar Sparks (Tim Carbone and Lou Rogai)
Chapter 2 (pp. 030–047)    030-047 - Krzysztof Bartnicki and Bouchons d'oreilles with Wojtek Kurek    045-046 - Yehuda Vizan and the box sets
Chapter 3 (pp. 048–074)    048-050.35 - Wiel Conen & Charlotte Gilissen    052.18-053.35 - S.A. Griffin    053.36-055.02 - Joe Cassidy    055.03-056.19 - Neal Kosaly-Meyer    061.15-061.16 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Nooningless Knockturne"    066.28-067.06 - Graziano Galati    067.07-067.27 - Schneider TM - "His Phizz Fell"    071.10-072.16 - Jon Wahl - "Abusive Names"
Chapter 4 (pp. 075–103)    75-103 - Matthew Duncan and James Heflin
Chapter 5 (pp. 104–125)    104-125 - Tim Cornelius    107 - Hayden Chisholm
Chapter 6 (pp. 126–168)    136.01-136.36 - Lavinia Murrary - "Mursque"    139.15-139.28 - Maharajah - "Ann Alive"    139.29-140.07 - Maharadja Sweets    140.08-141.07 - Papa Sprain    141.08-141.27 - Coldharbourstores - "Question 5"    141.28-142.29 - Old Fiends (Jason Merritt, Kenneth Griffin, Jason Sebastian Russo, and Paul Dillon)    142.30-143.02 - Little Sparta with Sally Timms and Martin Billheimer - "Question 6. How Are Yor Maggies"    148.33-152.15 - Kevin Spenst and Hitori Tori - "Question 11"    152.16-159.18 - Mr. Smolin - "The Mooks & The Gripes"    159.19-163.07 - William Sutton    163.08-165.07 - Conspirators of Pleasure (Simon Underwood and Poulomi Desai)
Chapter 7 (pp. 169–195)    169-195 - Gavan Kennedy    169-195 - Mike Watt and Adam Harvey - "Shem the Penman"    170.25-174.04 - Layne Farmen of "Faraday"    174.05-175.06 - The Philip Cleary Ensemble - "The Cull"    175.07-175.28 - Mr. Smolin - "The Ballat of Perce Oreille"    175.29-181.33 - The Philip Cleary Ensemble - "a Dubliner (and a spy)"    181.34-182.29 - Karen Ponzio
Chapter 8 (pp. 196–216)    205.16-210.06 - Joe Fee - "Anna Livia"    213.11-216 - Re-Scribe    215.36 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "My Ho Head Halls"
Chapter 9 (pp. 216–259)    223.12-224.07 - Sauerbraten Beef Ring - "Nought A Wired From The Wordless Either"    224.08-226.20 - Lucy Hollier - "The Pearlagraph"    226.21-228.02 - David Hurn and Abigail Hopkins    228.03-229.01 - Joel Wranning    229.01-229.29 - Owen Tromans    229.29-230.25 - Brendan Kinsella and Brian Tyree    230.26-231.22 - STV    231.23-232.26 - Michael Maier and Brian Tyree    254.01-254.08 - Chelidon Frame - "Our Seawall"    254.08-254.09 - Mr. Smolin - "Ancients Link With Presents"    254.09-254.17 - Lys Guillorn - "Have Done, Do and Will Again"    254.18-254.29 - Lys Guillorn - "The Mar of Murmury"    254.29-255.03 - Lys Guillorn - "Hoet of the Rough Throat Attack"    256.01-259.10 - Gareth Flowers    257.29-259.10 - Krzysztof Bartnicki and the box sets
Chapter 10 (pp. 260–308)    260-270.31 - Super Nova Nudge    263.17-263.30 - Liz Longo    266.20 - Liz Longo    273.01-273.28 - Phil Minton    274.02-275.13 - Gregory Betts    284.04 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Brick Bath"    288, fn. 1 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "An Ounceworth of Onions for a Pennyawealth of Sobs"    293.01-300.08 - Sticky Foster and Usurper    304.05-305.11 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring Marco Toriani - "Magic J Amezons"    305.08-306.07 - Janken's Henchmæn - "FAQ Deady"    306.08-306.10 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring MonkeYear - "Aen.C"    306.16-306.31 - Janken's Henchmæn featuring MonkeYear - "Frogterdati"    307 - Greg Nahabedian    308 - body bender - "Delays"
Chapter 11 (pp. 309–382)    310.22-311.20 - Doug Eisenstark    310.22-311.20 - Matt Battle    311.21-312.16 - Insides    312.17-313.13 - Barry Bender - "To Old Sporty"    313.14-314.14 - M. David Hornbuckle - "Whereofter"    314.15-315.08 - Alek Erickson    316.11-319.02 - Steve Fly    319.03-319.36 - Cathal O' Leary    322.01-323.24 - Kinski    323.25-324.17 - Tenement and Temple (Monica Queen and Johnny Smillie)    324.18-326.20 - Renata Meints    326.21-326.36 - Tom Segear    329.14-330.11 - Steve Pantani - "And Dub Did Glow"    330.20-332.09 - John Wolf Brennan    332.10-333.05 - David Moss & Boris Hegenbart - "stepping the tolks"    333.06-334.05 - meunders    372.23-373.12 - Haunted Robot, Ltd. and Dameon Merkl - "Last ye, lundsmin"    380.07-382.30 - The Science Of Deduction
Chapter 12 (pp. 383–399)    383-399 - Andrea Riley's Opendoor Score - Score only, record your own interpretation or performance!!
Chapter 13 (pp. 403–428)    403-418.08 - Ross&Wayne    403.01-405.02 - Candle    418.09-419.08 - Ross&Wayne    418.10-419.08 - Aleorta - "Grace ondt Hope"    419.09-428 - Ross&Wayne    429 - Mary and Sara Jewell
Chapter 14 (pp. 429–473)    446.11 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Zuccherikissings"    446.16-446.17 - Seán Mac Erlaine - "Rainkiss on Me Back"
Chapter 15 (pp. 474–554)    494.27-497.03 - Layne Farmen of "Faraday"    499.04-499.36 - Human Flourishing    500.01-501.06 - Adam Matlock    504.20-505.31 - Belorusia    506.34-509.36 - Rod Stasick - "Peace Antiques"    510.01-510.36 - Junklight    511.01-511.36 - Hardworking Families    512.01-512.20 - PhÆDRx - "To The Pink, Man!"    534.07-535.12 - Neil Campbell - "Calm Has Entered"    538.18-540.36 - Ulrich Krieger - "Finnegans Longstone"    540.09-550.03 - Bruce Woodside - "Haveth Childers Everywhere"    550.04-554.10 - At it Again!
Chapter 16 (pp. 555–590)    556.01-556.22 - Martyn Bates - "Night by Silentsailing Night"    589.12-589.19 - Stanton Warren - "...and the band played on"
Chapter 17 (pp. 593–628)    593 - Adrian DiMatteo    594.01-595.29 - Rich Chapman    595.30-596.33 - watercodes    596.34-597.23 - Epiphany Now    597.24-598.27 - Hayden Chisholm    598.17-600.04 - Mariana Lanari and Sjoerd Leijten - "Supernoctural"    598.28-599.24 - Les orages de janvier - "Sable Rampant"    601.21-602.08 - Cathal O' Leary    602.09-603.33 - Mark Sheeky - "Finnegan's Judgement"    603.34-604.22 - Kaia Jackson    604.22-606.12 - Gerry Smyth    606.13-607.16 - Doug Eisenstark    607.17-607.36 - John Shakespear - "High Tigh Tigh"    608.01-608.36 - Asha Passalacqua    609.01-609.36 - Ken Davidson    610-611.02 - The Most Ever Company - "Muta & Juva"    613.01-615.11 - Peter Quadrino - "Vicocyclometer"    615.12-619.16 - Kamil Szuszkiewicz featuring Pictorial Candi - "Pollabella"    627.34-003.18 - Steve Gregoropoulos - "Recirculation"

## Reception

The Opendoor Edition's music received generally positive reviews, including a 7.8 rating from Paste. Open Culture's Josh Jones deemed the Opendoor Edition "one of the most appropriate responses to the novel in the 78 years since its publication." Other writers did not review the music but focused primarily on the project's ambitious and unusual nature.
In her PopMatters review, Maria Schurr wrote: "The well of inspiration springing from Joyce's words is thrillingly infinite." Paste's Jay Horton wrote of the third edition: "It's soon enough made clear that there are as many varieties of musical renderings as there are interpretations of its prose, which sparks the likely-unavoidable problem concerning the songs and the book they're taken from and the ideas it (barely) contains – there's just too damn many." Culture.pl described listeners as "wallowing in the infinite possible meanings that Finnegans Wake inspires."