The Actor's Candid Musical Selections: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes
The initial tune I fell in love with
My earliest memory is walking into a room at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sound effects, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”
The first record I bought
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to pick a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad noted that it was by one of the Beatles.
The track I sing at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I oddly remember every lyric to
I not long ago discovered that I know virtually all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The perfect tune to blast at a soirée
It hinges on the point of the party you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.
The number I can no longer listen to
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal track to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to play the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock and roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was a fan for life.
The tune that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that gets me emotional
Most music makes me emotional. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and pure beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going without fail.
The song I’d like to be played at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
