Joseph Quinn’s favourite rock bands of all time
British actor Joseph Quinn found overnight fame after starring in the fourth season of Stranger Things, which aired in 2022. As the loveable metalhead Eddie Munson, Quinn’s character charmed viewers, instantly becoming a fan favourite.
However, the actor began his career in the mid-2010s after graduating from LAMDA, earning himself a role in the BBC series Dickensian in 2016. The following year he appeared in one episode of Game of Thrones and secured a small part in another period drama, Howard’s End.
More television roles soon followed, predominantly working in British productions like Les Miserables, Strike, and Catherine the Great. He landed a few movie roles around this time, such as the psychological thriller Make Up, although his acting credits were relatively slim until he successfully achieved his supporting role in Stranger Things.
Due to his success in the Netflix series, one of the platform’s most-streamed shows, Quinn will undoubtedly appear on our television and cinema screens much more frequently from now on. He’s already landed roles in upcoming movies like Gladiator 2 and Quiet Place: Day One, while Stranger Things fans remain optimistic that his character could be resurrected for the fifth and final season.
At first glance, you wouldn’t expect a British actor with a history of starring in period dramas to land the role of an American high schooler with big hair and an affinity for heavy metal and double denim. Yet, Quinn proved his versatility with the role, even if he questioned the Duffer brother’s decision to cast him at first. He told GQ: “They were very nice and very kind. I was very disarmed by the whole thing. Kind of like, ‘Are you sure?'”
However, to get into the mindset of Eddie Munson, Quinn turned to music. In one pivotal scene, Munson plays Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’, demonstrating the character’s love for all things metal. While Quinn doesn’t identify as a metalhead himself, he listened to lots of metal bands to prepare for his performance. “When I was younger, I was never a big fan of thrash metal. I was aware of new metal bands emerging in the 1990s, which I enjoyed, but I wasn’t enamoured of that genre of music,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter.
However, Quinn is partial to some Metallica, even getting the chance to jam with them backstage at Lollapalooza in 2022. “I have always liked some eighties nostalgia. A lot of the music made back then, I really enjoy. I have been listening to Metallica a lot lately,” he added.
Quinn told Metal Hammer: “I listened to Master Of Reality by Black Sabbath over and over. Master Of Puppets as well, Slayer… all that kind of stuff. That was my way into that whole world, really. Black Sabbath were my guys, and Led Zeppelin too, but I guess they’re less metal.”
However, Quinn did share some insight into the rock artists he’s been a longtime fan of. “Jimi Hendrix is an obvious one. I was always very enamoured with him. Nirvana was my first proper band obsession – I was obsessed with Kurt Cobain and had all of his posters on my wall. It’s kind of cliché, but it’s true.”
Joseph Quinn’s favourite rock bands
- Metallica
- Nirvana
- Jimi Hendrix
- Black Sabbath
- Led Zeppelin
- Slayer
