Eclectic tracks for a chameleonic actor: a collection of Gary Oldman’s favourite songs
Given his career-long habit of disappearing into a variety of roles covering almost every genre cinema has to offer, it would make perfect sense for Gary Oldman to have a musical taste every bit as eclectic as the characters he’s played over the decades.
In a strictly onscreen capacity, Oldman and music haven’t been inextricably linked to a major extent, even if he did give one of his earliest showcases as Sid Vicious in the searing 1986 drama Sid and Nancy, embodying the Sex Pistols icon to an almost frighteningly realistic degree.
The star also embodied Ludwig van Beethoven in 1994’s biopic Immortal Beloved, but those are the only two musical figures he’s brought to life on the screen. Still, for a thespian who hasn’t encountered a protagonist or antagonist from any walk of life he wasn’t ready, willing, and able to tackle, it speaks volumes to Oldman’s dedication to being a chameleon that some of his favourite songs span unexpected genres and artists who couldn’t be more different from each other in every way.
Kicking off his candidates in conversation with the BBC, Oldman first opted for Muddy Waters’ ‘Can’t Lose What You Ain’t Never Had’, a quintessential blues classic that stands the test of time from one of the most influential guitar players to ever wield the axe.
However, things took a turn immediately afterwards, with Oldman then naming synth-pop cult favourites Chairlift and their 2012 hit ‘I Belong In Your Arms’ – regarded by many as the band’s standout track bar none, and The Bronx’s ‘Cell Mates’. Clearly keeping the spirit of Sid Vicious and punk rock alive, the actor holds a soft spot for the genre after including the opener to the group’s 2009 album Mariachi El Bronx.
Having been on the cusp of his teenage years when the group first exploded to global sensation status, Oldman can’t look past non-album single ‘The Seeker’ as his favourite from The Who, which name-checked several of their counterculture and musical contemporaries, including Bob Dylan and The Beatles.
Pinballing from the old school to the new once more, Field Music may have only been formed in 2004, but they’ve made enough of an impression on Oldman during that time for ‘A New Town’ to make his list of essential tracks, flying the flag for modern British rock and ensuring that any playlist curated by Oldman is guaranteed to provide a musical odyssey that doesn’t mind weaving through multiple genres.
Looking at the characters he’s played throughout his career – which covers everything from prime ministers and vampires to drug dealers and intergalactic overlords – it’s entirely on-brand for his tracklist to throw up several unlikely but uniformly Oldman-approved curveballs.
