The Actor's Revealing Playlist: From Early Favorites to Peculiar Dislikes
The first track I fell in love with
My earliest recollection is stepping into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sound effects, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to pick a brand new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first single I bought 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 selected it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.
The track I do at sing-along
I honestly cannot stand public singing and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The song I oddly recite each line to
I just realised that I have memorized pretty much every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The best song to put on at a soirée
It depends on what stage of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d transition into the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.
The number I can never hear
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ultimate track to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was obsessed with The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. As soon as he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was captivated.
The song that gets me up in the morning
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, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard every time.
The track I’d like played at my final send-off
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.
