The Actor's Candid Playlist: Starting with Childhood Loves to Peculiar Dislikes
The initial song I was captivated by
My earliest recollection is entering a room at kindergarten where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”
The very first record I bought
When I was eight, I won a competition at school to pick a new record to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to a local store, and I chose Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.
The tune I sing at sing-along
I candidly do not enjoy public singing and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.
The track I oddly know all the words to
I not long ago became aware that I have memorized virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The best song to put on at a soirée
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 the soul legend. As the night wears on, 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 absolute banger.
The track I can never hear
I strangely loathe Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.
The ideal track to have sex to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
The LP that changed my life
When I was 12 and starting to study the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he placed the vinyl on the turntable, I was a fan for life.
The tune that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.
The song that brings me to tears
Virtually any music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all make me cry because of the harmony and sheer beauty of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard every time.
The track I’d like to be played at my final send-off
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.
