There was something about the story of the upcoming film "Permanent Midnight" that immediately grabbed Everclear singer Art Alexakis.
On the surface, the autobiographical tale of former "Alf" sitcom writer Jerry Stahl -- who battled heroin
addiction while penning a number of popular '80s television series -- paralleled Alexakis' own past battles with drug addiction.
But there was something else.
"I had this song 'Overwhelming' that I had written for [the Everclear album] So Much for the Afterglow that I hadn't really fleshed out musically and lyrically," said Alexakis, 36. "I watched the movie and I went right back to my hotel and finished the lyrics that night."
"Overwhelming," Alexakis' first-ever solo track, will be heard on the soundtrack to the film, which stars actor/filmmaker Ben Stiller.
Alexakis, who has dealt with his own history of drug abuse on such Everclear songs as "Heroin Girl" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Santa Monica," from 1995's Sparkle and Fade, said he was driven to complete his new song after seeing the story of how Stahl got "so far off track and had such low self-esteem and worked his way back."
"Overwhelming" doesn't deal explicitly with the dangers of drug abuse, although Alexakis described the song as being about having an abusive relationship with yourself and the world around you. He said the song's theme could be applied to anyone who feels overwhelmed by their situation. "It's about not letting life overwhelm you," Alexakis said. "And getting to the point where you say you won't let it anymore. You don't have to do drugs to figure it out."
Alexakis, who calls Stiller's harrowing portrayal of Stahl "definitely Oscar-contention stuff," said he got a call earlier this year from Stiller asking if he would like to get involved in scoring the film and writing songs for it. Due to the then-in-progress Everclear tour, though, Alexakis said he had to beg off -- only to turn around and offer Stiller "Overwhelming" once he saw the finished movie.
The song suits the film perfectly, according to soundtrack supervisor Jeff Rabhan. "[Alexakis] is a recovering heroin addict, and that's one of the themes of the movie and how sometimes trying to keep your head above water is a chore in itself," Rabhan said.
The film, which is based on Stahl's 1995 autobiography of the same name, will also feature new songs from Crystal Method ("Now Is the Time"), Moby ("Honey"), Black Lab ("Horses"), Girls Against Boys ("EPR") and Spring Heel Jack ("A Permanent Theme"). Among the previously released tracks on the album are Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up" (RealAudio excerpt), Spiritualized's "Take Your Time," Embrace's "Free Ride" and Morcheeba's "Tape Loop." "The new tracks tend to lean a bit on the darker side," Rabhan said.
"Overwhelming" was recorded earlier this month in L.A. It features a 14-piece string section and a number of loops and samples, according to Alexakis, who said he wanted the song to have a more lush feel than some of the more recent Everclear material. "I wanted to do it a bit differently than the band stuff," he said. In order to achieve a larger sound, Alexakis shared production duties for the first time in his musical career, bringing in former XTC producer Paul Fox to help beef up the sound of the track.
The new track could very well be a preview of the more experimental material that Alexakis currently is working on, songs that will end up on his first solo album, due next spring. "Stylistically, it's a lot different than the Everclear stuff," Alexakis said. "It's less bombastic, there are more textures and more dynamics. I'm using a lot of technology to make it sound raw and rough."
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