*This article was originally published in an August 2016 issue of NME
The first gig I went to
They Might Be Giants – Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia
“I’m actually not a big concert-goer, but I had a friend who was obsessed with them. He took me along to their show when we were in middle school and I remember just having a really great time. I’ve seen them live a bunch of times since, so I guess I’ve kind of built up a cool personal history with this band.”
The song I do at karaoke
Enya – ‘Only Time’
“I really like doing this song at karaoke. I mean, it’s not what you’d call a crowd-pleaser, but it makes me laugh. So I either do Enya or an old-school Garth Brooks song like ‘Ain’t Going Down (’Til The Sun Comes Up)’. It’s kind of a country-rap song and I know every single word to it. It blows people’s minds. I think this might surprise a lot of people, but growing up I was actually really into Garth Brooks.”
The first album I bought
Judy Garland – ‘Judy At Carnegie Hall’
“I’m pretty sure that I when I was about 12, I bought my local music store’s entire stock of Judy Garland albums. I did a book report on her for school, so I started watching her movies and became kind of infatuated with her. I thought it was pretty cool when Rufus Wainwright did his remake of her Carnegie Hall show. I mean, you’re never gonna compete with the greatest singer of all time, but it was a beautiful homage.”
The song I can’t get out of my head
David Bowie – ‘The Man Who Sold The World’
“This song gets stuck in my head, like, all the time. Especially the intro. But I don’t mean that in an annoying way. I love this song, so I like having it stuck in my head. David Bowie is one of my all-time favourites too.”
The song that reminds of Parks And Recreation
T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake – ‘Dead And Gone’
“I know this sounds weird, but for some reason in the first couple of seasons of Parks And Recreation Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt and I would all blast out this song in the make-up trailer during lunch. It kind of became our pick-me-up song and we’d all be singing along at the top of our lungs.”
The song that I play at work
Amy Winehouse – ‘Back To Black’
“I play a lot of Amy Winehouse in my trailer. It’s go-to comfort music for me. I really like her song ‘Stronger Than Me’ too, but I think ‘Back To Black’ is probably the best song ever. I mean, her lyrics are like poetry. I watched the documentary Amy and I just found it devastating. It made me realise how big of a loss it was that someone so talented died so young.”
The song I wish I’d written
Bonnie Raitt – ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’
“I mean, this is just such a beautiful song. But I’m really running with the depressing theme now, aren’t I?”
The song I want played at my funeral
Judy Garland – ‘Get Happy’
“I mean, I’d have to pick a Judy song for sure. I like the idea of this one because it’s, like, even though I’m dead people could come together to get happy with each other. Does that sound weird?”