#Who wrote 2001 a space odyssey book how to
#Who wrote 2001 a space odyssey book portable

The composer Dan Jones, founder of Wave Theory Records, said: “Attempting to write any music for Kubrick would be a daunting task, as Alex North – and now we discover Mike Kaplan – were both to discover. “With a visual narrative that jumped millennia, the 161-minute epic contained only 22 minutes of dialogue.” After a two-hour discussion about the film, they shook hands and a long friendship began. “We were confronted with a metaphysical drama encompassing evolution, reincarnation, the beauty of space, the terror of science and the mystery of mankind that required critics and audiences to surrender to its unique rhythms,” Kaplan explained.

#Who wrote 2001 a space odyssey book how to

Kaplan first met Kubrick in 1968 in a projection booth, where the director was told that the team promoting 2001 were having a hard time working out how to sell it to audiences.

Stanley Kubrick (far left) on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Another composer, Alex North, also wrote a score for 2001, but Kubrick ultimately went for a classical work, Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra. The two friends never discussed the song again, although they continued to work together closely on A Clockwork Orange. Although the great director liked the title, he said he could not imagine it becoming a hit.

#Who wrote 2001 a space odyssey book portable

He wanted to emulate the success of the quirky hit MacArthur Park, featuring Richard Harris, but when he played it to Kubrick the tinny reproduction on a portable machine did it no favours. We also wanted to instil curiosity among audiences who had not yet seen what was becoming a cultural phenomenon,” Kaplan has explained. “The intent was to capture the different responses 2001 was generating from audiences and the media, the many levels of interpretation and appreciation, from its hypnotic visuals to its metaphysical illuminations. Why don’t you write something?” he said, according to Kaplan.Īfter moonlighting on his day job to compose the song, Kaplan had it professionally mixed and sung by folk performer Naomi Gardner.

The publicist was challenged to write the song, 2001: A Garden of Personal Mirrors, during a meeting with Kubrick and MGM records after they had all listened to the demo tape of another song that had been intended to help promote the film.ĭeclining to use the downbeat tune, Kubrick turned to Kaplan, who he knew wrote music and who he felt understood his film: “I hear you write music. But it is great to hear it being played.” “I know it doesn’t sound like anything else, and I am not sure how I managed to work it out,” said Kaplan, 77. Photograph: Carolyn Contino/BEI/REX/Shutterstock Mike Kaplan, who wrote the ‘lost’ track for 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the actor Malcolm McDowell, who starred in Kubrick’s 1972 film A Clockwork Orange.