Alt-J’s “The Actor” Lyrics Meaning
Actually, this song reads as sort of an anti-coke piece. Whereas such a message comes through pretty clearly in the lyrics, still it is done so somewhat indirectly, i.e. via a narrative which in itself isn’t particularly about drugs.
Rather, the vocalist takes on the role of an aspiring actor / drug dealer. The implication is that he’s likely in the latter endeavor simply in the name of making ends meet. Furthermore, as further implied in the refrain, he doesn’t want to keep “coming back to coc–ne’ but is doing so for some unspecified reason, perhaps even being an addict himself.
The vocalist also implies, fictionally, that he was John Belushi’s drug dealer when Belushi more or less OD’d in 1982. And in that regard, according to Alt-J’s explanation of this piece, what this song is set on is a depiction of 1980s Hollywood being a time and place where drug usage, etc. was rife. In other words, this is akin to a period piece. And the title of the album this song is derived from, “the dream”, alludes to, at least in the case of “the actor” how people gravitate towards L.A. in search of stardom but, like the vocalist, are rather met with some of the less-than-ideal aspects of survival in Tinseltown.
But those stated intentions aside, it is also pretty obvious, as put forth earlier, that this song possesses an anti-drug undertone.
Release Date of “The Actor”
“The Actor” is one of the singles to be issued from “The Dream”, Alt-J’s fourth studio album. It was released as such by Infectious Music on 7 February 2022.
“The Actor” Credits
This song was written by Alt-J, with production credit going out to Charlie Andrew.
At the time of the release of “The Actor”, Alt-J is made up of the following:
- Joe Newman (vocalist/guitarist)
- Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboardist)
- Thom Sonny Green (drummer)
This track’s music video was directed by Saskia Dixie, a filmographer whom the band expressed a lot of gratitude in terms of working with.
Who was John Belushi?
The late John Belushi (1949-1982) is a Hollywood legend. He was actually amongst the first group of comedians to star on Saturday Night Live. In addition to that, he starred in a couple of classic comedy films during his day. However, he had drug problems and, in 1982, was administered a lethal does of coke and her–n (a combination known as a “speedball”) by one Cathy Evelyn Smith.
Belushi was just 33 years old when he sadly passed away.
According to alt-J’s Gus Unger, this song is akin to “an imagined retelling of” the tragic death of Belushi.
Alt-J’s “The Dream”
“The Dream” is an album by Alt-J, an indie rock band from England. It was released on February 11 of 2022 as the band’s fourth album.
All three band members (Green, Newman and Unger-Hamilton) have been credited with the composition of all 12 tracks on the album.
“The Dream” was produced by British songwriter and record producer, Charlie Andrew. It came out via the following record labels:
- Canvasback Music
- Infectious Music
During a review of the album, British daily newspaper, The Guardian, gave “The Dream” a 4 star rating.
The album was a commercial success. It was a top-5 hit on the OCC in the UK. Also, it charted on the Billboard 200. Furthermore, it was also a top-10 album in Australia and many European countries. Some of these regions include:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Germany
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Scotland
- Switzerland
