The artists Keanu Reeves wants everyone to listen to: “You need something classical”
As well as being a beloved actor with a dedicated cult following, Keanu Reeves also found relative success with his rock band Dogstar. Having already starred in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, the actor formed Dogstar—then named Small Fecal Matter—with Robert Mailhouse after a chance meeting in a supermarket. This came in 1991, the same year he appeared in Point Break, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and My Own Private Idaho. By 1994, the band was touring the US and Asia as well as opening for David Bowie.
After the tour and two albums, Dogstar disbanded in 2002, only to reunite in 2023 with a third album release. And, while Dogstar’s success has been nowhere near Reeves’ career on the silver screen, his love of music has always been evident. So, unsurprisingly, the star gets asked just as many questions about music as he does about cinema.
So when he starred in Knock Knock, a thriller about a cheating husband who is pursued by two violent women and also happens to have an extensive record collection, the interviews all asked the same question: what records are essential listening in Keenu Reeves’ collection? Given he’s the bassist of an alternative rock band and grew up in the 1980s, it’s not hard to imagine his inspirations.
“I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so that’s where my music kind of got its teeth cut. So you need some The Clash, you need some Joy Division,” he explained in an interview with Complex. Both iconic English rock bands were incredibly influential during the 1970s and ‘80s. The Clash for being one of the most influential acts in the first wave of punk rock, and Joy Division for being one of the pioneers of the post-punk scene. Essentials indeed.
Next up was something a little more surprising, but then, with Reeves, is eclecticism really that surprising? He insisted, “You need something classical, so maybe something like Eric Satie.” Leave it to Reeves to mention three different kinds of pioneers in a row. Then apparently, “You need some John Coltrane, and maybe some Fugazi” to round off the list with yet two more influential artists.
Although the interviewer pointed out that while he seemed to hit many of the major players in the key genres of rock, classical and jazz, he appeared to have made a significant omission, “You spinning any hip-hop? I mean, you had some serious skills when you rapped ‘Big Poppa’ in Hard Ball.”
Referencing the endearing scene when Reeves’ character, a gambling little league coach, encourages his batter with a rendition of ‘Big Poppa’ by The Notorious BIG. While he doesn’t really show off his rapping skills—wouldn’t that be fun to watch—Reeves admits to his skills and clarifies his stance on hip-hop. “If I had to pick, the band I would have to go with is Public Enemy. Yeah, they got it,” he explains. Go figure.
