The wizard of wiggle
Another fictional pop star bites the dust.
Last weekend I saw “Opus.” It stars Ayo Edebiri as a young journalist named Ariel and John Malkovich as the mononymous legendary pop star, Moretti. (Very mild spoilers from this point forward.)
In the film, Ariel and four other media personnel receive mysterious invitations to meet Moretti at his remote compound to hear his new music before anyone else has. Ariel quickly realizes she and her fellow guests have entered a cult, and things get weirder and grosser from there. It was directed by a former GQ editor, Mark Anthony Green and features three original songs "by Moretti.”
Music that’s composed for fictional universes has always fascinated me, from “Josie and the Pussycats” and “That Thing You Do” to more recent projects like “Daisy Jones and the Six,” which I wrote about. To create a hit for a made-up world that audiences will actually believe is bound to be an incredibly daunting task. And for that song to make it to the charts in real life, outside of a cinematic universe, is a whole other feat.
For “Opus,” Green recruited disco luminary Nile Rodgers and songwriter-producer The-Dream to write songs for Moretti, who is supposedly a 90s-music icon releasing music for the first time in decades. Malkovich actually sings on the tracks. According to Entertainment Weekly, he heard the songs for the first time the morning he recorded them. In the same interview, Green says that he tried to give Moretti his own persona apart from David Bowie, Liberace, Madonna, etc. He did admit that there’s a bit of Isaac Hayes in the character.
If you’re wondering how a character can be associated with those stars and still represent 90s music, you’re not alone! In his New York Times review of the film, Ben Kenigsberg wrote:
…“Opus” feels more than a tad broad in its conception of the “wizard of wiggle,” Moretti. Bedazzled in gloves, boots and jewels, Malkovich plays him like a combination of Prince, Elton John and, well, John Malkovich, overdoing both the campiness and the menace. Pegging Moretti’s heyday specifically to the 1990s seems off, although it would be hard to make a character like this out of Eddie Vedder.
Very few critics have written about the songs that came out of this film, which is disappointing. The first song featured, “Dina, Simone,” is Moretti’s “biggest hit of all time,” the song that everyone knows. (I **think** this is true—I cannot find anything online to confirm this!) It’s very dance-y and slightly Talking Heads inspired. And the lyrics are ridiculous. “You smell like flowers by the glass. And she tastes like she lives life fast.”
The other two tracks, “Tomorrow” and “35mm” are his new songs, presented to Ariel and the other guests in bizarre ways. The rock ballad ”Tomorrow” plays from a machine in each guest’s hotel room—as they dance alone, Moretti’s followers watch from secret security cameras. When it comes time to listen to “35mm,” each guest receives a makeover, getting a new wardrobe, hair and makeup. (After all of that, each attendee gets shaved…down there. Yes there. They say it’s what Moretti demands of his guests.) Then they all sit in a circle of fancy chairs while Moretti dances and gyrates on each of them. From Vanity Fair:
The moves Malkovich came up with for Moretti—heavy on the hips and pelvic thrusts—inspired the first-time director [Green] to make a big decision. “I reached out to my producer and I said, ‘I think we need an intimacy coordinator,’” Green says.
For Pitchfork, Madison Bloom aptly compared this whole ordeal to Kanye West’s 2018 reveal of “ye,” for which he invited a group of journalists and influencers to listen to the album in remote Wyoming.
But does Moretti’s music match the scale of artist—a sonic genius—who would do all of this? I don’t believe the real world would get excited about these songs. Bloom’s film review articulated exactly what I was thinking:
…the singles are pre-packaged electropop sprinkled with slutted-up lyrics about bling and ass that curdle as they leave Moretti’s lips. The occasional swipe of Auto-Tune somehow makes everything worse: the sound of an out-of-touch pop star grasping at the tools of contemporary music. You might think that was Green’s whole point, but I have a hard time believing he hired two top-tier songwriters to achieve such a washed-up effect.
I’ve ironically listened to “Dina, Simone” a few times. The lyrics are so awful, it’s almost camp? Anyway, I’m curious what others think about the actual music of this film. Could it work in real life?
🚨 VIBE CHECK 🚨
What the people are actually listening to:
Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” debuted at No. 1 on the albums chart, but the highest any of her new songs charted on the singles chart was at No. 52. I’ve never been a Little Monster, but this album has me cautiously putting my paws up. Like, waist-length paws up. “How Bad Do U Want Me” is a drug of a song.
I noticed that Jennie had her solo album debut on the Billboard 200 at No. 7, which is exactly where her fellow Blackpink member Lisa’s new solo album debuted last week! The stans showed up in very equal forces.
Finally, Doechii’s “Anxiety,” a formally unreleased song that samples Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” debuted on the singles chart at No. 13! I really just want her to keep winning.
💋 HOT DATE 💋
What I saw this week:
Kim Deal at Brooklyn Paramount, March 13
Kim Deal made the whole Brooklyn Paramount just feel so cheerful! She has a huge band and everyone seems to happy to be there. I also think her set list is the right call—she plays her new album, “Nobody Loves You More,” all the way through, then finishes with older songs, including a few Breeders moments! She closed with “Off You” and “Do You Love Me Now?” which are two of my favorite Breeders songs ever. Ratboys opened the show, and they had such a charming attitude as an opening band—Deal’s audience leans on the older side, and I think they were just earning as many new fans they could. They also performed the song “Go Outside” because some guy’s partner EMAILED the band and asked if they could play it for his birthday. That’s romance.
Sex Week at Jean’s Down Below, March 19
The New York band Sex Week put on a release show for their new single, “Coat” in the venue area of the very trendy restaurant Jean’s. Part of the reason I went was just to see this talked-about space, and it didn’t impress me all that much. Maybe I’d understand the hype if I’d spent the night with a bunch of finance bros ordering martinis. Sex Week’s set was barely half an hour long, and they didn’t play any “old” songs (their debut album came out in August 2024). But the new songs were great—for a kinda shoegaze song, “Coat” is very wholesome and romantic. Also, one of the band members had this intense mohawk. Do you think this is all real hair? Sound off in the comments below.
😘 Friday I’m in Love 😘
This week’s notable releases:
“For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women)” by Japanese Breakfast
This album almost has a baroque element, and it’s sparer and slower than Jbrekkie’s older music. I was not a fan at all at first, but now that I’ve given it a few listens, some of the songs are starting to click for me. My personal highlights are the more percussive ones (shocker), like “Honey Water,” “Mega Circuit” and my favorite, “Picture Window.” “Men In Bars” has a Western feel and features Jeff Bridges!
There are only two things you actually need to know about me. My name is Natalia and my favorite podcast is Las Culturistas. They end every episode with a song. I end every newsletter with a song.
I forgot how beautiful this song was until Ratboys closed their set with it last week. It’s a sprawling, almost country-rock tune that’s more than 8 minutes long with a veryyy drawn out guitar solo. But it makes me feel so good, especially going into spring.
reading this while friday i’m in love plays at the airport. Fitting!!!