The “greatest band in rock and roll”, according to Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt has had an incredible run in Hollywood, having collaborated with enormously talented filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher and Terry Gilliam, among others.
The supreme career of the star has only been matched by his impressive star quality. Few actors have emerged triumphantly from their heyday. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t considering retirement.
While this may come as a shock for many fans, Pitt believes that he is on his “last leg”. The actor will turn 60 next year, but he has managed to stay at the top of the film industry for decades now. Luckily, he is showing no signs of slowing down right now after delivering an enjoyable performance in the recent action thriller Bullet Train.
Over the years, Pitt has drawn inspiration from various sources while preparing for his roles. He has cited authors like Franz Kafka and Samuel Beckett as influences while also mentioning cinematic masterpieces such as Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove and Miloš Forman’s incredible 1975 comedy One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
In addition to these, Pitt is also a huge music enthusiast and considers himself to be a hardcore Radiohead fan. During a conversation with a journalist, he revealed his opinions on Radiohead: “What is so important about Radiohead is that they are the Kafka and the Beckett of our generation. Thom Yorke and the rest of Radiohead are precisely that.”
While explaining the magic of Radiohead’s music, he added: “What comes out in them I don’t think is anything they could actually articulate, but I would certainly say that it’s that which we all know is true somewhere when we’re in our deepest sleep. That is their importance, and this movie hits on the same level.”
However, there is another band which Pitt considers to be his all-time favourite. In fact, he referred to them as the “greatest band in rock and roll” during an interview where he revealed that 1990s rock greatly influenced him. That band was Soundgarden, the iconic American rock outfit helmed by frontman Chris Cornell.
Pitt eventually became great friends with Cornell, but he was introduced to the band’s music when he starred in Tony Scott’s cult classic True Romance, which Quentin Tarantino wrote. Although it was a brief cameo, Pitt stood out as a comical stoner – a quintessential Tarantino character.
It’s not the only band Pitt has shared as one of his favourites. Pitt’s taste in music varies from rock ‘n’ roll to classical, but according to a handwritten note dated 1987, his overall favourite musician was the American pianist George Winston. Sadly, Winston passed away in June 2023 but left an exemplary oeuvre of emotional instrumental compositions.
Over 35 years later, there’s no reason to assume Pitt has forgotten his hero, but he’s undoubtedly picked up a few new ones. Speaking to Oprah Winfrey in 1998, the Meet Joe Black star was asked to name his favourite musician. Pitt gave three names this time: “I’ll give you a few, Neil Young… Bob Marley…Clapton“.
