The Actor's Revealing Musical Selections: From Early Loves to Unexplained Dislikes

The first song I was captivated by
My first recollection is stepping into a space at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I bought
When I was eight, I was victorious in a competition at school to pick a new vinyl to play at the mini disco we had on Friday afternoons. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my father noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The song I perform at karaoke
I frankly cannot stand public singing and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I oddly know all the words to
I just discovered that I know almost all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect tune to play at a soirée
It depends on the point of the event you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d work through Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can never listen to
I strangely detest Mr Brightside by the Las Vegas band.

The ideal track to make love to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that changed my life
When I was 12 and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he dropped the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.

The track that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by Ray Charles.

The song that brings me to tears
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles all make me cry because of the tune and pure perfection of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord consistently.

The music 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.