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Jam Mechanics

Jam Mechanics

Written by: Jam Mechanics
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About this listen

 Two bands who span the Atlantic, having a chat across the planet. Drafting jams from random challenges, fantastic banter while we're at it. So just relax and watch our antics; it's the pan-Atlantic Jam Mechanics Jam Mechanics is a podcast hosted by Matt Johnston from The Narcissist Cookbook and Bug from Bug Hunter. Each week we'll take on songwriting challenges and present our finished "demo" after a few hour break.Jam Mechanics Music
Episodes
  • S4E9: Frankenstein Donor Register

    S4E9: Frankenstein Donor Register
    Feb 23 2026
    Episode 9 won't disappoint you like a Big Boy Yoda. We talk brushes with fame and our biggest bombs before both writing bangersJam Mechanics is a podcast hosted by Matt (The Narcissist Cookbook) and Bug (Bug Hunter) where we are challenged to write a song demo from scratch every episode. If you'd like to download the demos we showed off, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can go to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bandcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to pay-what-you-want to support us!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and our brand-new discord is here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-- SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE BELOW ----Bug's Song--Title: Just BecausePrompt Page: San Diego Comic-con --> San Diego Pride --> June GloomLyrics: There's no funeral, there's no weddingit's just a random weekend in Februarybut the gang's all here and ready to hang outThis ain't sick leave, this ain't work-from-homethis is pure shit, uncut PTO3 full days, no chores, no plans somehowThe kids grew up and all moved out but everyone's back in town...Just Because! We put it on the CalendarJust Because! we liked the way it sounds and we'rejust some buds travellin to hang around Just Because...And just because is as good as any reasonBecause Just Because just makes it easyJust believe it does, Just BecauseIt's not a diet, or a lifestyleits just a little unexpected but I thought I'd try itmy friends are looking at me like they're shockedIt's not a burger, it's not nuggiesIt's not either of the two foods you'd expect of meIts a brand new side of the menu that I've unlockedThe kid's grown up his palette, I have just ordered a salad...Just Because! I'm monchin' on a salad hereJust Because! I liked the way it sounds and we'reJust some buds taken on the salad bar Just BecauseAnd just because is as good as any reasonBecause Just Because just makes it easyJust believe it does, Just BecauseI can tell ya something if ya say I never told yaThe secret is the vinegar, your ears are baking sodaI need to keep it quiet if you lean a little closerThe only thing that's keepin ya from doin' what you're doin'is often not enough to stop ya if you wanna do itIt doesn't take much to get the motivated movin'you may have thought you hit your limitbut here's two words to fix it:Just Because! we're having such a better yearJust Because! we liked the way it sounds and we'rejust some buds finding out the power of Just Because---- Matt's Song -----Title: Criss-Cross ApplesaucePrompt Page: Rube Goldberg-> Boob McNutt -> Jester (via Buffoonish)Lyrics:you might be guided by the cardsor the full moon's gravitypick a path by plotting starsor the patterns in the leavesadd up numbers in the bibletil you land on sum you likeif you're really having troubleask your friends for some advicefeed a universe of datato a planet-sized machinemaybe god will call back laterwithin 7 working weeksbaby throw yourself at anythingat anyone at allto get the sense that this direction you are stumbling in's the one that leads you homebut if the cards are shuffled badlyand the moon pulls only tidesand the leaves clump all togetherand the stars slip out of lineand the bible's numbers add up to42069and your friends suggestions get you guessing they're out of their mindsif the algorithm feeds you only ads and right wing newsif god's call center's automatedand no one puts you throughbaby throw yourself a partyinvite everyone you knowsit beside them criss-cross applesauce, this chaos is the closest thing to homegrab yourself a cushion make yourself as comfortableas the uncarpeted kitchen floor allowsfriends, i love you endlessly but you would never knowcause I never say that sort of thing out loudabove us see the sky fissures and rends itself apartwhile beneath us magma boils at the coreand in between this room of us, the circle will break only oncethe last of us has fallen to the sword
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    41 mins
  • S4E8: Denchawada

    S4E8: Denchawada
    Feb 9 2026
    What up Girl! We both come back from our holiday break with EXCELLENT stories from home and no, we won't apologize.Jam Mechanics is a podcast hosted by Matt (The Narcissist Cookbook) and Bug (Bug Hunter) where we are challenged to write a song demo from scratch every episode. If you'd like to download the demos we showed off, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can go to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bandcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to pay-what-you-want to support us!Our Music:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Narcissist Cookbook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bug Hunter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and our brand-new discord is here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc!Please rate / review and share the show (and our music) with friends!-- SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE BELOW ------Bug's Song-----Title: Oops!Prompt Page: Robotic Surgery --> Waldo (short story) --> Rube GoldbergLyrics:Oops, I'm sorry, my fault, my badyikes, I screwed up, whoops, I flubbed thaton your left, no right, frick! dammitI get those mixed up by habitFranz Ferdinand, shot in the headBasic ass duke reppin' simple cause and effectI'm like if Dr Frankenstein and Rueben Goldberg ever metkilled by my creation but with 20 extra stepsOops, I'm sorry, my fault, my badyikes, I screwed up, whoops, I flubbed thaton your left, no right, frick! dammitI get those mixed up by habitSomeday I'll get out of my waySomeday I'll get out of my waySometimes the glass is half full but it was empty when you left itsometimes your mom's boyfriend's dentures are at the bottom of your beverageand when a pessimist would spit it up and curse his rotten luckthe desperate would suck it up and plug his nose and chugOops, I'm sorry, my fault, my oopsyikes, I oops up, whoops, I flubbed thaton your left, oops right, frick! dammitI get those mixed up by habitSomeday I'll get out of my waySomeday I'll get out of my wayAnother Domino! fallin while you're walking awayAnother Domino! falls and you just call it a gameAnother Domino! Falls and it was never the sameAnother Domino! Falls And you're absolved of the blameOops, I'm sorry, oops my oops my badoops you, I screwed oops, whoops, I oopson your left oops, no oops, I...I get those mixed up!I said: Oops, I'm oops my fault my bad, my oopsyikes screwed up oops I flubbed thaton your oops, whoops oops, frick, dammitI get oops oops oops oops dammitSomeday I'll get out of my waySomeday I'll get out of my waySomeday I'll get out of my own way (oops)---- Matt's Song -----Title: JMCCPrompt Page: Happy Days -> George Lucas -> San Diego Comic-conLyrics:let's go to jam mechanic comic conlet's go to jam mechanic comic conmeet me in gary IndianaBring the hydra and alpacalet's go to jam mechanic comic con it's where we belongYou'll see cowboys and vampiresSocialist mayorsBoard games, puppets and smoke detectorsA liberal kitty and a family dogGetting their shit rocked by ichard noirAND IF YOU GET HUNGRY WE'VE GOT YOU COVEREDAn army of dead dads eating popcornI think curdled milkteeth is what happened to johnCthulhu stuffing his mouth with some ballsShimmy to the left cause captain stanley's got a gunLET'S GO TO JAM MECHANIC COMIC CON...AND AFTER DARKKKKAmelia earhart's doing white linesWith a guy in the corner looks a little like a lionAgamemnon's laying pipe but he's just warming upHere's you at a party with my uncle in a headlockAn angel and a devil are making out hardOdin's in the garbage patch getting pardonedSomeone's fur prince got stuck in cementThe angel and the devil are making out againLET'S GO TO JAM MECHANIC COMIC CONoh and wikipede is also here
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    40 mins
  • S4E7: Chat... I Got Him

    S4E7: Chat... I Got Him
    Jan 26 2026
    They Jam now? They Jam now! Listen to find out who gets got (Hint: It's not Jason). We talk Batman vs Darth Vader and confidently make up facts about robotsJam Mechanics is a podcast hosted by Matt (The Narcissist Cookbook) and Bug (Bug Hunter) where we are challenged to write a song demo from scratch every episode. If you'd like to download the demos we showed off, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠you can go to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bandcamp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to pay-what-you-want to support us!Our Music:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Narcissist Cookbook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bug Hunter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and our brand-new discord is here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, etc!Please rate / review and share the show (and our music) with friends!-- SPOILERS FOR THIS EPISODE BELOW ------Bug's Song-----Title: High NotePrompt Page: Anachronism -> Retcon -> Happy Days #Chuck Cunningham SyndromeLyrics:Going out on a high note, callin' it quitsdon't wait for the moment we wish that we didthey'll be sad that its over (but glad it exists)don't get caught hanging on when the alternative isSomeone come get your boy wayne gretzkyhis grasp on fractions is at best a bit sketchyyou miss 100% of the shots you don't take?Can I see your calculator, Wayne?if you don't shoot you can't miss, can't mess uplet them think you're the best of what you've donenot what you'll do when you've got nothing left to provejust quit while you're ahead[Chorus]Maybe we should've cut the mics at the first standing ovationshould've packed away our picnics before the end of the paradecuz when you watch it peter out and now the band has long since passedthe confetti on the ground begins to look a lot like trashif the magic's in the middle it means you went a bit too farlets go home at intermission, leave the people wanting moreBut will they notice you're missing? will they notice you're gonewill they send out a search party or convince themselves you're notwill they notice you're missing? will they notice you're gone?everyone reminisces whether you like it or notwhether you're ready or notGoing out on a high note, callin' it quitsdon't wait for the moment we wish that we didthey'll be sad that its over (but glad it exists)don't get caught hanging on when the alternative is---- Matt's Song -----Title: StonesPrompt Page: Immunotherapy -> Organ Transplantation -> Robotic SurgeryLyrics:heycan you hear meI've been waiting for your callthere is nothing on this rock and I am slowly breaking downI don't think youever taught mehow to fix these faulty thingsNow I am rustingI'm erodingI am code upon a screenSomewhere 40 million miles from hereThis planet, barren and lonelyThis body, weathered and dullThis mission barely makes sense to meGuess I'll just check the manualThese arms extending out forwardReaching for something unknownWaving up at a blue dot in the sky Hey guys am I ever coming home?heyis it okayif I miss you,I don't want you to feel like I'm a burdenwhen I call you just to talkI am pulling at my wirestrying to find what makes me tickfigure I might plug the right thing into the right place by mistakeAnd floating in the burnt red airSomewhere 40 million miles from hereThat planet, emerald and sapphireThis body, shiny and newThis mission finally over andI rest in the cold light of the moonThese tracks extending out backwardShow all the places I've goneBut each hill's the same as the last oneHey guys am I ever coming homeThis planet, barren and lonelyThis body, weathered and dullThis mission barely makes sense to meThere must be something I'm missingOne last unoverturned stoneHey guys am I ever coming home?
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    42 mins
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