Inside John Malkovich’s Eerie, Plato-Quoting New Album
Two years ago, composer Eric Alexandrakis wrote an ambient piece of music titled “Cryogenia π [Requiem For Humanity]” that was “very freeform and free-flowing and had this time-warp, evolving vibe to it.” He visualized an actor reciting Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” — a text suggested by his philosophy professor mother — over his music and knew there was only one person whose dulcet, yet eerie voice could complement the piece: John Malkovich.
“He has this very poetic, intellectual, mysterious, academic vibe to him — this blend of classical and edge that you just don’t see,” Alexandrakis tells Rolling Stone. “John reminds me of the type of people that say, ‘Just tell me a story and what’s on your mind.’ Even his wardrobe has this air of English academic to it. He has a clothing line which he wears called ‘Technobohemian,’ which he actually designs and draws himself. He’s just a fascinatingly unique and talented artist.”
After writing his interpretation of the allegory — “the concept was that the body is in a cryogenic state and around it, time changes and the subconscious is thinking about the ‘allegory’ and the concept of coming out of darkness, into knowledge,” Alexandrakis says — the composer turned to Sandro Miller, a mutual friend of Malkovich and a photographer who has worked with the actor for 20 years.
Like a Puppet Show, the first in a series of collaborations from the avant-garde trio, features numerous musicians, including Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, Blondie co-founder Chris Stein, Ric Ocasek, Dweezil Zappa and Roger Waters’ son Harry, remixing Alexandrakis and Malkovich’s songs. The album is set for a vinyl-only release for Friday’s Record Store Day — there are no plans for a digital or streaming release — and will be paired with Miller’s exclusive photos of Malkovich.
“[As] an actor, you’re really a figure in someone else’s dream. So why say, ‘Your dream isn’t like that?'” – John Malkovich
In April 2014, Miller shot a seven-minute film he had written that found Malkovich, dressed in paramilitary gear, delivering a somber version of the allegory over Alexandrakis’ score and Miller’s chaotic, warlike animation. At the same time, Miller’s latest exhibition, Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich: Homage to Photographic Masters, found the actor portraying cinematic and cultural icons such as Che Guevara, Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe. (In one shot, the actor recreates Annie Leibovitz’s iconic 1980 Rolling Stone cover photo of a naked John Lennon caressing Ono.)
“I had the privilege of watching that process,” Alexandrakis says. “And the Homage exhibition is really what inspired the records. As the images were coming up on screen, I thought, ‘These are amazing. These could be picture-disc vinyls.’ The music inspired Sandro’s film, and then Sandro’s photography inspired the music. And, of course, John’s artistry inspired the tune because the music was written first.”
Once Alexandrakis finished the original composition and recorded Malkovich’s allegory, he passed off the dialogue and music to his eclectic range of collaborators and remixers. “I said [to everyone], ‘Chop it up, use it as you like, put chickens next to it on an iPhone,'” Alexandrakis says. “It can be as avant-garde or as lo-fi as people wanted, so I didn’t really want to tell them too much direction.”