Adam Driver names his favourite musicians of all time
Even in a short space of time, the Hollywood enigma that is Adam Driver has managed to subvert the very nature of the movie star and yet still deliver a brilliance that will likely echo throughout cinema history. Driver negates the kind of passe performances that so many of his contemporaries seem to deliver, preferring to bring a sense of magnetism and intensity to each role.
The former US Marine boasts impressive versatility, too. Whether he is performing under the guise of a conflicted Jedi in the Star Wars sequel trilogy of the 2010s, as a Jesuit missionary in Martin Scorsese’s Silence or as a husband in the turmoil and peril of romance’s more heartbreaking side in Marriage Story, Driver has consistently given awe-inspiring performances.
There’s clearly a deep commitment to the craft and profession of acting that resides deep within Driver, likely honed from his strict military years. But there’s also a virtuosic artistry that can only ever come from a love of the arts, and it’s clear that Driver not only loves the cinematic medium but all the arts, notably music.
In an interview, Driver once spoke of his favourite musicians of all time, noting his preference in music belongs to “Tom Waits and, in classical music, Sergei Rachmaninoff”. The actor himself plays the piano, but he admits, “I’m not a concert player by any means,” although given his talent, we wouldn’t be surprised if he were.
Waits is the gravelly-voiced musical legend who fused the genre realms of blues and jazz whilst delivering his unique method of storytelling. A lyrical genius and a composition master, Waits crafted a legacy of brilliance within the music world, and his albums Swordfishtrombones and Nighthawks at the Diner have stood the test of time.
Rachmaninoff, meanwhile, was a true virtuoso of the classical field, a Russian composing icon of Russia. He wrote works of technical difficulty with an expression that has left him one of the most admired musicians of his late-19th century era, and his piano concertos and symphonies will continue to ring true throughout the ages.
And like most people on the planet, Driver also has an appreciation for The Beatles, and if he had to be any of the Fab Four, he “would have liked to be “George Harrison.” Evidently, there’s a tenderness in Driver through which he finds a kinship with the “quiet Beatle” and its easy to imagine him preparing for a role listening to the best works of Harrison as well as Waits and Rachmaninoff.
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