The Actor's Honest Playlist: From Early Favorites to Unexplained Dislikes
The first tune I became enamored with
My earliest recollection is walking into a room at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I distinctly thought: “This must be music!”
The first single I bought
When I was eight, I was victorious in a contest at school to choose a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Colne. It was number one at the time, and I selected it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.
The track I perform at sing-along
I candidly do not enjoy karaoke and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.
The piece I oddly remember every lyric to
I not long ago discovered that I can recall almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.
The perfect song to blast at a gathering
It relies on which phase of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d work through Prince, the Rolling Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, 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 number I can not listen to
I inexplicably 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 altered my perspective
When I was 12 and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to 1950s rock and roll, and was consumed by Elvis, the rock pioneer, 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 electrifying rock music. The moment he dropped the record on the record player, I was hooked.
The track that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by The Genius.
The song that makes me cry
Virtually any music leaves me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the tune and sheer brilliance of the vocals. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going without fail.
The music 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.