The way English music composer Jerskin Fendrix describes his childhood in Shropshire, one might assume he was describing a dream. With the idyllic countryside framing his imagination on all sides, it makes sense why Fendrix fell in with Yorgos Lanthimos, the director making other-worldly Hollywood films that could only be scored by someone who has truly lived it. After composing the Poor Things film score, Fendrix has grown more accustomed to working with large creative teams, although he already had experience with experimental opera at institutions such as London’s V&A Museum. Beyond prestigious museums and the Academy Awards, where his score for Poor Things earned a nomination, you can find Fendrix at London’s more eccentric music venues, experimenting with the presentation of his sound and observing how audiences respond. For him, seeing the narrative within his lyrics reach people is what keeps him making work.
In this interview with hube, Fendrix talks about the fantasy worlds that inspire him, a song named after an Adventure Time special about death, and why there is often a better way than the right way.
hube: Your stage name originated from a friend at school. How has its meaning evolved over time, and what does it represent for you today?
Jerskin Fendrix: The best things in my life have been given to me. I loved not having to choose a solo name that would have dated instantly for the same reason that I would never get a tattoo. Also, there is no hierarchy between my stage name and my birth name. No one gets to pretend to know me better or closer, which lets me be more honest in my songwriting. More welcoming. And for the record, my name has 0% to do with Jimi Hendrix.
h: Working on Poor Things brought you close to Yorgos Lanthimos. When approaching a large-scale project like that, how do you navigate the balance between your musical vision and the director’s cinematic world?
JF: Working as a small component in a large system is so beneficial, especially after years of being the captain of a solo project. It is a practice in artistic humility, empathy, and the sheer joy of knowing when to hold back in order for other artists to be seen. In reality, most of working with a team like that is keeping up; Yorgos, his actors, his writers and the other departments are so monumentally talented that the motivating factor is not wanting to be the loose screw. Imagine seeing the concept artwork for Poor Things! All I wanted to do was keep up.
h: Returning to work with Lanthimos on Bugonia, what aspects of the collaboration felt familiar, and where did you find yourself approaching the music in entirely new ways?
JF: I am getting better at knowing what Yorgos wants and how to competently furnish his work, though a bizarre mental stumbling block for Bugonia was knowing about reception. When I scored Poor Things and Kinds of Kindness, I didn’t know what the reception to my film work would look like. Now, I need to navigate that public pressure, and a bit of semi-successful ego suppression.
