Pierce Brosnan names the bands that shaped his life: “There was a consciousness and a freedom”
Most of us first encountered Pierce Brosnan as the fifth on-screen version of Ian Fleming’s suave secret agent, James Bond. Taking on the coveted role in the mid-1950s, he bolstered the British charm and wit of the character for a four-film run. His tenure as the fictional spy came to an end in the early 2000s with Die Another Day, but Brosnan had delivered yet another iconic iteration of the character.
From there, Brosnan has refused to be typecast by his years as James Bond, expanding his roles and projects far beyond the realm of spy thrillers. He ventured into the world of blockbuster fantasy in Percy Jackson, dipped his toes into period pieces with Married Lift, and adapted to Edgar Wright’s quick-paced comedy with a part in The World’s End. Along the way, Brosnan also found a genuine love for on-screen musicals.
His most iconic modern musical performance is, indisputably, as Sam in Mamma Mia!, one of three love interests that Meryl Streep’s Donna is confronted with at her daughter’s wedding. Though Brosnan received some constructive criticism for his singing voice, particularly for his performance of ‘When All is Said and Done’, this hasn’t deterred him from picking up more musicals since.
He returned to Mamma Mia! For the sequel, Here We Go Again, in 2018, appeared in David Dobkin’s Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and landed a role in the most recent live-action adaptation of Cinderella. Clearly, the actor’s love for the melding of music and acting is far stronger than any criticism of his vocal talents.
Perhaps this stems from his love for music outside of his craft, though his tastes are a far cry from Abba and Eurovision. During a chat with Alex Simon for The Hollywood Interview, the actor divulged some of his favourite musicians, kicking things off with British rockers The Who. Brosnan suggested that the band “coloured a lot of [his] life at that time with the mods.”
The Who weren’t the only rockers who endeared themselves to Brosnan during this time. He also discovered a love for Pink Floyd, which he suggested opened a lot of doors for him. “Not that I was an acid head,” Brosnan clarified, “Never done it, never will. But there was a consciousness and a freedom there where the doors just burst off their hinges.”
Brosnan was particularly into his music during this period, noting that he was living in an apartment “full of punks.” After finding his love for Pink Floyd and The Who, he went on to discover bands like The Clash and Buffalo Springfield, as well as soloists like Bruce Springsteen. Though he was immersed in the scene during this time, Brosnan admitted that he has since lost touch with contemporary music.
He is no longer quite as immersed in those alternative scenes and hasn’t kept up to date with modern music as a result. “You drop the ball, and you don’t know what’s going on,” he explained, “Right now is one of those times for me. I don’t know what the heck’s going on in music because I don’t listen to enough.”
It’s understandable that Brosnan doesn’t have his finger quite as firmly on the pulse as he once did. He’s no longer immersed in the punk scene, and he probably spends more time rehearsing musicals than going to underground shows, but he’s still a rocker at his roots.
