The Actor's Revealing Playlist: From Early Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes
The first track I was captivated by
My most primal recollection is stepping into a space at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sound effects, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I recall believing: “This must be music!”
The inaugural 45 I bought
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to choose a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my father noted that it was by one of the Beatles.
The tune I sing at karaoke
I candidly actively avoid karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I inexplicably remember all the words to
I just discovered that I know pretty much the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The best song to play at a party
It hinges on which phase of the event you are at. For the beginning it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.
The song I can never listen to
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ideal piece to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The record that changed my life
When I was twelve and beginning to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with The King, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.
The track that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.
The piece that brings me to tears
Most music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and sheer brilliance of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard without fail.
The track I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
