Masculinity Exposed: John Zdrojeski (as Virgil Wilde) Releases New Rock Album ‘Misters’ Confronting Toxicity Head-On

06 January 2023

John Zdrojeski (under pseudonym Virgil Wilde) releases blistering new "rock-worshipping epic" deconstructing white American masculinity.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK (November 17, 2022) - On December 8th, John Zdrojeski will release his debut album ‘Misters’, and promote it as his alter-ego: Virgil Wilde. In the vein of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, Virgil is a character from the album, which explores the stifling effects of toxic white masculinity. Inspired by Dante's Inferno, Misters deals with Jack, a man struggling to “sing his song” in the midst of an aggressive, disjointed choir. With a squeal of guitar feedback, a ravaged, rock star channeler named Virgil Wilde appears to Jack. Virgil morphs into each member of the choir, known as "The Misters", hoping to dull their power over Jack’s song by doing so. But periodically, Jack is overtaken by the Devil You Know : a polished, mirror image of Virgil, who uses every tactic he can to get Jack to abandon his own unique song. Not shying away from a difficult topic, Zdrojeski hopes Misters contributes to the dialogue about the ill effects of the patriarchy not only on society, but on men themselves.

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Sonically weaving through prog rock, country rock, alternative, glam rock, and classic heavy metal among other different sub-genres, Misters pays homage to rock 'n' roll, exploring Zdrojeski's love of the music itself while tackling the controversial topics. The epic begins with "In The Weeds" as our protagonist, Jack, is surrounded on all sides by the toxic voices of the Misters. Following that, Virgil introduces himself in the 70’s-inspired, riff-tastic thunderbolt invocation, "O Rock N’ Roll.” And finally, the third and final voice - our antagonist - reveals himself in the guise of moody, mysterious industrial rock in "Devil You Know I". As the album continues, each “Mister” Virgil channels embodies a different trope: male hypocrisy, male apathy, and performative machismo, with more unconventional themes and archetypes popping up along the way. Overall, ‘Misters’ is a rock 'n' roll epic, promising to be a rollicking action movie-musical of the mind.

"Story behind these songs? You try being locked away with the Misters for as long as you can remember and writing about anything else. But see, what I think you’re really asking is: why rock ‘n’ roll? And that’s cuz I had to find a way to tune them out, to cut through their noise, to sing my song despite them to trying to shout me down. I think that’s what we all want to do, right? Sing our songs? You might say it different than me but deep down, you know what I mean. I needed firepower, I needed lightning to come out of my hands, I needed volume that makes you catch your breath. I needed Oasis at Knebworth, Ziggy at the Odeon. I needed the feeling you get when Axl tells you to wake up cause you’re gonna die. And rock ‘n’ roll, despite those who would tear it down, or sully its name, or declare it dead, is nothing if not a divine middle finger to something. In my case, it was to the Misters. And how do you do that? Show 'em off to the world, and tell no lies. In fact, if they ever get me, if the Misters ever do shut me up, let my epitaph be these nine words:

Sing your song. Tell no lies. Rock ‘N’ roll."

- Virgil Wilde

About John Zdrojeski:

Cover art for Misters by John Zdrojeski as Virgil Wilde.

John Zdrojeski is a performing artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. An Obie award winning actor as well as a singer/songwriter, John combines the unapologetic theatricality of David Bowie, the off-beat lyrical bite of Warren Zevon, and the riff-driven, melodic rock 'n' roll of Oasis into one undeniably charismatic package. John’s first release was the five-song EP Primitive. Chronicling the life cycle of a relationship, its music was heavily influenced by the work of Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, and Bon Iver. Of “Madness,” Primitive’s climax, The Wild is Calling wrote: “John patiently weaves his narrative like a maze that only he knows the route through, breaking between lines, dancing around his melody but never repeating it exactly. Without knowing his face, you can see him, alone under the spotlight on the stage, a delivery so natural, you swear he’s writing it on the spot.”

For the follow-up, John has taken all the theatrical impulses hinted at on Primitive and turned them up to eleven. Engineered by the Grammy-nominated Tom Gardner (Chromeo) and mastered by the Grammy-nominated Joe Lambert (The National), Misters, his forthcoming full-length debut, is an exploration of white American masculinity through classic, rollicking, riff-driven rock ‘n’ roll. Blog Given To Rock described "Snake Oil Strongman," as "having a contagious groove with dynamic vocals." Roadie Music described another single, "Fragile," as "having a pulse you should savor and will make you sweat." To promote Misters live, John adopts the persona of Virgil Wilde: the ravaged, muscle-shirt wearing, guitar-slinging rock star. Described by one audience member as "part Rocky Horror Picture Show, part Joker, and part Elvis with a heavy dose of 70's glam rock," Virgil Wilde is the main character from the album, and came about when John decided to create the rock show he always wanted to see. Since his official birth in 2022, Virgil Wilde has brought the house down at several iconic venues in New York City, and John plans to debut a one-man show as Virgil in 2023.