The Actor's Honest Musical Selections: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Peculiar Dislikes
The initial song I was captivated by
My most primal recollection is entering a space at nursery school where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The inaugural 45 I purchased
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to choose a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad pointed out that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The song I sing at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d select Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The song I inexplicably remember each line to
I just became aware that I have memorized pretty much all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.
The perfect tune to put on at a gathering
It depends on the point of the party you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.
The track I can never bear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ideal track to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The record that transformed me
When I was 12 and just learning to study the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. The moment he dropped the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.
The tune that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music leaves me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all bring a tear to my eye because of the harmony and sheer perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord without fail.
The track I’d like to be played at my funeral
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.
