Kirkis is An Alien Prom Queen in His New Video, He's Also a Genius

Where to begin? Is there anything this man cannae do? He's toured and written with Grammy-nominated Haitus Kayote, played in Kirin J Callinan's band, and contributed to Floating Points's most recent album Mojave Desert. Now, Melbourne's Kirkis is back on the scene with his first solo record in years. And fuck is it good.

Vide was recorded in London and is something you'd probably want to hear if you were closing your eyes on Ketamine. It's beautiful, it's muted, it's synthy. It feels like having your head touched and your stomach punched. It's a real treat.

We spoke to Kirkis about the record, and the video for "Vivian" which premieres on Noisey today. We also asked him to take some photographs to go along with the piece, and the result was an album called Me and Joey Ramone.

Kirkis. God bless you. The record is really excellent. How was the process of writing and recording it?
Thank you. [It] was recorded in Seven Sisters, London. During winter. It was quite a concise three months of recording everyday. I had been touring for the whole of 2016 with Floating Points and I thought about writing this record everyday for that whole year. So it was a pimple of sorts. I recorded the album and it just so happened to be the studio of Val Barclay. He had built the house and studio I recorded in.

The aesthetic of the record is very tight. Is that kind of thing really important to you, or does it just come naturally?
There's a voice in all mediums so I would say naturally.

What, when you look at "Vivian" and "Miracle" and at the record in its entirety, do you think it says? What do you want it to say or express?
I know but I don't know. Actually I don't want to know.

Do you remember the first album you ever bought? Or the first single?
I'm 99.9% sure it was the Backstreet Boys. Dark times.

What artists inspired or influenced the album?
Angela Morley formerly known as Wally Stott. Better known for her work with Scott Walker. She was the first openly transgender woman in Hollywood and wrote some arrangements particularly with Scott that are just terrifying.

Who are you listening to now?
DNA, Durrutti Column, me—I'm writing a lot.

"Vivian" is hot, it's cool, it's weird, it's very fucking playable. Can you tell us a little bit about the making of the video?
I wanted to do an adaptation of The Man Who Fell to Earth with Bowie, but starring me as an alien prom queen, So I call Jimmy (filmmaker James Ruse), he shoots, I be Bowie, and that's it. I remember one problem with the contacts though. Not only could I not get them in but they were scratching my eyeball and 20 mins into filming I came to terms with my impending blindness. I'm fine btw. 20/20 a-ok.

Who's the best fictional character of all time?
Maybe me in these photos as Joey Ramone's cocaine-fuelled NY serial killer/sex fiend/kind of just hello kind of friend in the same apartment block kind of guy?

What movie/s did you obsess over as a kid?
The Terminator and Dennis the Menace.

Do you have a great high school or primary school anecdote? I wanna hear it.
I remember walking home from school and a bus going by and a kid threw something at my head, I looked at it and it was a Coke bottle with a weird green hose in it and some aluminium foil.

What's the greatest song ever written?
I'm sorry there is no answer to this.

What really fucking bores you?
Cricket, I can't.

Do you have a song you want played at your funeral?
No.

Watch the video for "Vivian" below. Vide is out October 8th and is streaming via Hype Machine now.