The Actor's Candid Playlist: Starting with Childhood Favorites to Peculiar Dislikes
The first track I became enamored with
My earliest recollection is stepping into a room at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the chorus, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The first single I acquired
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a contest at school to pick a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father mentioned that it was by one of the Beatles.
The song I perform at karaoke
I frankly do not enjoy karaoke and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The track I oddly remember all the words to
I not long ago discovered 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 track to put on at a gathering
It depends on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d move on to Prince, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.
The track I can not hear
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ultimate song to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to study the guitar, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my childminder played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. The moment he dropped the record on the turntable, I was a fan for life.
The track that wakes me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The piece that brings me to tears
Most music leaves me moved. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all make me cry because of the melody and sheer brilliance of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going every time.
The song I’d like performed at my memorial service
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.
