Kubrick did it, but then again that's why he's my favorite.

I think the episodic style worked well here because they were directly related. Its structure reminded me more of Down by Law than any other Jarmusch film. And I wouldn't call Mystery Train a weaker Jarmusch effort, but that's primarily because of Joe Strummer. Jarmusch has a knack for extracting memorable performances from people you wouldn't even expect to find in a movie.