David Duchovny’s two favourite songs by The Rolling Stones
American actor David Duchovny is a man of many talents, having explored various creative paths besides acting, from writing to music. Best known for his portrayal of FBI agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files, Duchovny got his start in the industry in the late 1980s, securing a small role in Twin Peaks as Denise before starring in movies such as Chaplin and Beethoven at the start of the following decade.
Alongside his role in The X-Files, Duchovny also starred as the main character, Hank Moody, in Californication, between 2007 and 2014. Although the actor has found the most success in television shows, he has also appeared in movies like Zoolander, Full Frontal and The Craft: Legacy.
Over the years, Duchovny has won several Golden Globe awards for his performances in Californication and The X-Files. However, the actor has refused to limit himself to one creative outlet, picking up his guitar to record Hell or Highwater, his debut album, in 2015.
Inspired by artists like Wilco and Leonard Cohen, the alternative folk-rock album was generally well-received, leading him to release two more albums, Every Third Thought and Gestureland. Talking to The Guardian, he explained: “I guess the restrictions of being an actor are, you know, you use your instrument in the service of somebody else’s words and visions. Not that I don’t love acting – I do.”
He continued: “But there was more that I wanted to express, at least in terms of words, which I guess is the common denominator between the songs and the novels. And both forms offered me a point of view that I wanted to share.”
Naturally, then, Duchovny is a huge music lover, citing classic artists like Al Green and The Beatles as some of his favourites. He also loves The Rolling Stones, picking out two of their songs when asked about the music that changed his life by Louder Sound.
The first was ‘Wild Horses’, taken from their iconic 1971 album Sticky Fingers, describing it as “such an emotional song”. Duchovny added: “It’s just a great marriage of feeling and melody, a perfect song with a beautiful image in the middle of it. It just works: a great lost love song, and the music just suits. And it’s beautifully produced. The percussion is great, the lead guitar in the middle is great, and Jagger’s vocals are great.”
“The words are really good, but kind of hard to understand at times, which is something I love about The Stones,” he continued. “You can make out half their words. Like most of these songs, it’s from a time when you have a soundtrack to your life. When you’re younger, songs are more important.”
For similar reasons, Duchovny also loves ‘Gimme Shelter’, from 1969’s Let It Bleed, stating: “Amazing background vocals. And again, lyrically, I’m not exactly sure I know what’s going on, but I get the sense, and it’s just a great, impressionistic portrait of a time in history when I was just a kid.”
“I saw the film 20 Feet From Stardom, where Merry Clayton tells the story of being asked to do the vocal. She was awakened in the middle of the night to come down and sing it, and that’s the way greatness can sometimes happen,” he added. “Sometimes you’ve got to plan for it, and sometimes it just happens. Because you’re lucky. Because you’re in the right place.”
