The only artist better than the devil, according to Johnny Depp: “It’s almost impossible to single out a particular recording”
We’ve all watched Johnny Depp in many Hollywood movies, but if he’s ever seen up on stage with some of our favourite rock stars, you would be forgiven for thinking that this was some kind of elitist celebrity role call. While there is a basis for some showy reveals on those occasions, Depp’s musical qualifications go much further than meets the eye, and as such, his status among the rock and roll gods is somewhat justified.
Having in a previous life been a guitarist before acting came calling, it’s fair to say that Depp knows his way around a six-string and has the back catalogue of credits to prove it. Featuring on tracks by everyone from Oasis to Iggy Pop to Shane MacGowan – and releasing no less than two albums with his supergroup the Hollywood Vampires, alongside Alice Cooper and Joe Perry – Depp not only has a fine-tuned ear for playing music but also has a strong intuition for seeking it out, reflected in his pick of top choices.
When previously discussing his favourite albums of all time, naturally, the works of his sonic cronies are never far from view, but more broadly his tastes are very wide-ranging and all-encompassing. He singled out everything from records by Serge Gainsbourg to Patti Smith, but above the rest was an artist whose talent, he claimed, could only be explained by hailing from the dark side.
According to Depp, the only artist better than the devil himself is Tom Waits, and in particular, his album Rain Dogs, originally released in 1985. This gravel-toned folk singer from the underworld has proved a divine inspiration to many an artist under his rapture, but it was the disillusioned portrait of New York City that Waits painted on the record that specifically drew Depp into his beguiling wrath.
Speaking of his allure to Waits more generally, the actor explained: “The devil doesn’t have the best tunes. Tom Waits does. It’s almost impossible to single out a particular recording of his. Over the years, Waits’ continued quality of output has never faltered. His high-water marks are countless. This is merely one among many. For moon lovers and junkyard dogs everywhere.”
That description goes some way in contextualising Waits’ enthral to many giants of the scene, not limited to Depp. Florence Welch has previously spoken of her worship of the singer’s brutal but brilliant imagery, and as such his lyrical explorations of the often unsaid are met with as much critical reverence as one can possibly harbour.
Waits’ dizzying and prolific discography spanning back over the past half a century and longer stands as a testament to the true power of a man whose words and artistry have captured every kind of spirit across all the sonic lands imaginable. It’s an odd juxtaposition, in a way – in one second, he goes from being this ethereal entity to, in Depp’s words, completely devilish. But if nothing else is certain, it only proves that wherever he hails from is out of this world.
