No laughing matter, why do comedies get a tough wrap at awards season?
Read More
Credit: Canadian Film Centre
Judd Apatow’s favourite bands of all time
“I still feel like a nerd.” – Judd Apatow
Self-proclaimed nerd Judd Apatow has defined the shape of modern American comedy, but you shouldn’t hold that against him. “Eventually, the nerds and the geeks will have their day,” he proclaimed while ushering in an era of laughs that see the underdog actually win rather than being perpetually beaten by the brutal hand of traditional comedy. ‘There is nothing funny about constant success,’ someone once decreed, and that has offered levity to losers thereafter, but the pathos of an Apatowesque victory is also a boon for the dispossessed and a happier one at that.
While comedy might be a cushion to the daily grind, it meets its match with music. Thus, the pair go hand in hand, and Apatow has always had a keen eye for that. As he told Artist Waves: “It’s essential. My grandfather was a record producer. His name was Bobby Shad. He died when I was in high school, but he was a big influence. He was one of the first producers to go down south with a mobile recording machine and record a lot of blues artists at their homes. He produced Charlie Parker, Dinah Washington and Janis Joplin. So, music has always been in the forefront of my world. It’s one of the two or three essential elements that get me through my life.”
So, if getting through life is an essential part of Apatow’s comedy then you can see where the pair intersect. With Apatow always probing at society with his hijinks, it also makes sense that his first musical loves helped to illuminate the world around him. As he stated: “I was born in 1967, the Beatles were still reverberating. It wasn’t long before that those records were coming out. Then came the first solo Beatles albums. I remember Paul McCartney touring America after Wings and The Speed of Sound was released. Those were big musical moments of my childhood. People were constantly telling me the Beatles were the best musical group of all time. So as a four, five and six-year-old, I was fascinated by everything Beatles.”
Like a gateway drug, The Beatles invariably lead to other bohemian pursuits. Nobody has ever listened to them and gone ‘Oh, well, that was good’ and simply moved on with life, they open a door and Apatow stepped through it. He started attending gigs and proclaims, “the concert that really blew me away and was most important to me growing up was Queen at Madison Square Garden. They were on tour promoting The Game. To this day, in my mind, that was the best concert I’ve ever been to.”
Thus, a joyously eclectic mix was coming to the fore, but one thread would make itself known: a sense of humour. This is apparent in the records he calls his favourites: “Loudon Wainwright III History and the last Warren Zevon record, The Wind. Eddie Vedder’s Into The Wild soundtrack gets played a lot at my house in addition to all the Pearl Jam albums. I still have a steady stream of the Beatles and I can never get enough of the Who. I play a lot of jazz too— I love John Coltrane and Dinah Washington.” As it happens, Wainwright’s classic ‘The Man Who Couldn’t Cry’ is almost primed for an Apatow cinematic adaptation, perhaps starring Bill Murray as the insensitive and insane lead.
Overall, however, he states, “I’m a grunge guy. I generally go to my Pearl Jam catalogue, Stone Temple Pilots, Wilco — I listen to a lot of Wilco when I’m writing, Warren Zevon and Loudon Wainwright as well. Those are my favourites. But I’ll also put on a random playlist and have it surprise me.” He also told Pitchfork: “I love Steely Dan– Steely Dan’s probably one of my top three bands of all time.”
Beyond that, there is also one track that seemingly defined the comedy stylings of the star before he even knew them himself. Speaking about Cat Stevens classic ‘Don’t Be Shy’ from the iconic Harold and Maude soundtrack. “It’s a life philosophy for an insecure nerd,” Apatow explained to KCRW. “You know, I’ve always related to that feeling you have when you’re a kid. You feel lost and you don’t know who you are. You feel like you can’t compete. You feel strange. There’s a part of you that thinks, ‘Oh maybe my strangeness is the best part of me’.”
Adding: “But you do need someone to encourage that idea, because often your uniqueness and the things that get you a beating is actually the best part of you. So this song seems like it’s written by a parent telling you that you’re going to be okay and to allow your inner self to shine.”
Below we have compiled the artists that Apatow has professed a love for and wrapped them up in a playlist as much of his benefit as anyone else’s, after all, he’s given us enough. Please no more. Just kidding, but then hopefully as comedy fans you would know that.
Judd Apatow’s favourite musicians:
- Cat Stevens
- Dinah Washington
- Eddie Vedder
- Grapetooth
- John Coltrane
- Loudon Wainwright III
- Pearl Jam
- Pixies
- Queen
- Steely Dan
- Stone Temple Pilots
- The Avett Brothers
- The Beatles
- The Who
- Warren Zevon
- Wilco
- Wings
