The Actor's Honest Playlist: Starting with Childhood Loves to Peculiar Dislikes
The initial tune I became enamored with
My most primal memory is stepping into a space at preschool where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the chorus, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The inaugural single I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to select a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my father noted that it was by one of the Beatles.
The song I do at sing-along
I candidly actively avoid public singing and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I inexplicably recite all the words to
I recently discovered that I know virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The perfect song to put on at a gathering
It hinges on the point of the evening you are at. Early doors it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the evening progresses, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.
The track I can not hear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.
The ideal song to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The LP that altered my perspective
When I was twelve and starting to study the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly 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. The moment he put the record on the record player, I was hooked.
The tune that motivates me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The piece that gets me emotional
Most music leaves me moved. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and utter beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley gets me going without fail.
The track I’d like played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
