John Malkovich Reinterprets Plato with the Help of Yoko Ono, OMD, Placebo

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Sep 18, 2015

Extending his artistic reach even further, actor/director John Malkovich has announced an upcoming solo album rife with experimental, Plato-referencing soundscapes. Instead of teaming up with an army of Malkoviches, the artist reached out to Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, Ric Ocasek, OMD and more for his forthcoming full-length, Like a Puppet Show.

A press release notes that the album lands November 27 as part of Record Store Day's Black Friday event. Like a Puppet Show is said to be the first in a series of projects between Malkovich, director/photographer Sandro and producer/composer Eric Alexandrakis. Together, they've reinterpreted Greek philosopher Plato's Cave Allegory, with Malkovich reading the piece over original music.

The trio's recording was then sent out to various musicians, who remixed the piece for Like a Puppet Show. The guest list includes Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon, synth-pop vets OMD, Dweezil Zappa, Blondie's Chris Stein, Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan, Placebo, Efterklang and more.

The first preview from the set is Cars leader Ric Ocasek's contribution, "Cryoblue Cheese O."

Ocasek said in a statement of his participation: "The poem 'Allegory of a Cave' narrated by John Malkovich sounded eerie to me, so I set it into that kind of musical landscape. The poem felt current, even though it was written around 380BC by Plato. Only the ridiculers and weapons have changed as we move through time."

You'll find the teaser track and a full rundown of Like a Puppet Show's tracklisting down below.

Like a Puppet Show:

1. Cryolife 7:14 A.M. (Mixed by Yoko Ono & Sean Lennon)
2. Cryocarbon 14C (Mixed by OMD)
3. Cryoblue Cheese Ο (Mixed by Ric Ocasek)
4. CryoZolon X (Mixed by Dweezil Zappa)
5. Cryoparoxsym A (Mixed by Young the Giant)
6. Platogenia X And The Caves (Mixed by the Dandy Warhols)
7. Cryostat Ø (Mixed by Efterklang)
8. Cryoplacebo 47/XXY (Mixed by Placebo)
9. Photogenia C (Ruler Of Light) (Mixed by Chris Stein)
10. Optimogenia Z [Edit Mix] (Mixed by Harry Waters)
11. Cryopian D (Mixed by Dolores O'Riordan)

Latest Coverage