Some people have that innate ability to have great things happen around them, or maybe because of them.

Hal Willner, co-founder of the Knitting Factory, music supervisor for Saturday Night Live, recording artist, producer of a myriad artists from William Burroughs to Marianne Faithfull, and a man who has worked with Tom Waits, Harry Nilsson and Lou Reed, could safely be said to be one of those people. His acquaintance with David Sefton from work they did together in England is what brought the event “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” to UCLA. It’s a phenomenal thing when connected people collide.

Willner’s contributions to the art he helps create reflect his multitasking abilities; he utilizes a number of angles and perspectives. And this holds true for putting together a night at Royce Hall.

“I sort of make an evening like you would make a meal. You have your main course and your dessert,” Willner said.

But he leaves it up to the audience to decide for themselves which of the evening’s aspects corresponds with each part of the meal.

“I hope you leave an evening feeling you’ve been through something,” Willner said. “You’ve gained, been entertained.”

Willner’s previous projects embrace an ethic intending to both entertain and provoke thought. “Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films” saw Willner collaborating with singers like Sinead O’Connor, Aaron Neville and James Taylor on songs from “Pinocchio” and classics like the “Mickey Mouse March.” Willner’s 1998 solo electronic record is titled “Whoops, I’m An Indian” and samples all sorts of roots music, everything from the “Star Spangled Banner” to tribal chants.

“It’s a balance for me that may not be a balance for someone else,” Willner said of his works and tonight’s performance. “Everything I ever do comes from when I came of age with early ’70s FM radio, which could go from Dylan to Beefheart to Ornette Coleman to Stravinsky ... That’s sort of my roots, along with variety television.”

Edgar Allan Poe, then, would seem tame and routine for Willner to tackle, but he has shaped the event to be anything but middle-of-the-road.