Ewan McGregor shares the soundtrack of his life
After landing a leading role in the Channel 4 series Lipstick on Your Collar, it wasn’t long until Ewan McGregor appeared in Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave, marking his first collaboration with the director. By 1996, the pair had reteamed for Trainspotting, with the Scottish actor playing the troubled heroin addict Mark Renton. The role earned him international acclaim, kickstarting a successful Hollywood career.
In 1999, McGregor landed the part of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and in 2001 he demonstrated his musical talents in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge!. Since then, McGregor has enjoyed a prolific career, working with various directors, from Tim Burton to Guillermo del Toro and Steven Soderbergh.
Proving his skills as an actor, McGregor has worked across a wide range of genres, from horror to romance and sci-fi. However, it seems as though his music taste is also as varied as his filmography. Over the years, McGregor has revealed glimpses of his music taste on various radio shows, such as Desert Island Discs, with his favourites ranging from David Bowie to Mozart.
On Magic Radio, McGregor discussed the soundtrack of his life, revealing that the first record he ever bought was by Status Quo. He also shared that David Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ makes him “want to take on the world.” However, on Desert Island Discs, McGregor shared the songs he couldn’t live without in greater detail, beginning with ‘Horn Concerto No.4 in E Flat Major’ by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which he used to perform when he played the horn as a child.
He followed this with ‘Agnus Dei’ by Gabriel Fauré, which his mother used to sing in a church choir. “I’ve just never forgotten it,” he explained. “If I was cast away on my own, this would remind me of my mum.” Another favourite of McGregor’s is Chet Baker’s ‘Alone Together’, the opening song from the first play he starred in after seven years. He said, “I can’t tell you how frightened I was the first night. […] Whenever I hear [the song] it just takes me back to that night standing in the wings in the darkness, wondering what the hell I was doing there.”
A song that reminds McGregor of partying with his friends – fellow actors Jude Law, Johnny Lee Miller, and Sean Pertwee – in Primrose Hill is ‘Tin Pan Alley’ by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. “They’ll all remember this song because I used to play it every time [at the end of the night]. I think they used to get rather tired of it after a while, but I never did.”
McGregor’s essential listening wouldn’t be complete without songs reminding him of his home – Scotland. He picked out The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ ‘Amazing Grace’, stating that “it used to make me cry as a wee boy. I used to listen to it and weep.” He also selected Jimmy O’Brien Moran’s ‘Dark Lochnagar’, explaining, “this is for my very melancholy moments.”
Check out the complete soundtrack of Ewan McGregor’s life below.
The soundtrack of Ewan McGregor’s life:
- N/A – Status Quo
- ‘Heroes’ – David Bowie
- ‘Horn Concerto No.4 in E Flat Major’ – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- ‘Agnus Dei’ – Gabriel Fauré
- ‘Alone Together’ – Chet Baker
- ‘Tin Pan Alley’ – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
- ‘Amazing Grace’ – The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
- ‘Dark Lochnagar’ – Jimmy O’Brien Moran
- ‘The Long Road’ – Eddie Vedder
- ‘I’m Gonna Stop Drinking’ – Paice Ashton Lord
