The Tom Petty song Kiefer Sutherland wishes he wrote
As much as acting is Kiefer Sutherland’s first love, and it’s his primary source of income, music means everything to him. Ever since he was a child playing the violin, music has been an obsession for Sutherland, and now he’s carved out a successful career in that field too.
Sutherland is a Hollywood A-lister, but he’s always been a music aficionado who also yearned to share his own songs. In 2016, he finally made the leap when he released his first album, Down In A Hole, and since then, he’s toured extensively with The Kiefer Sutherland Band. Sutherland has also released 2019’s Reckless & Me, which he followed up with Bloor Street.
In an interview with Music Radar, Sutherland discussed how his older brother played a crucial role in his musical awakening. He explained: “Tom is eight years older than me. He was the cool guy I wanted to be. What he was wearing, I wanted to wear. What he was listening to, I wanted to listen to. He had an incredible collection of albums… Deep Purple, Boston, AC/DC, Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“I’m pretty sure I was the only kid in kindergarten who was wearing an Aerosmith T-shirt! Then, when we moved to Canada, I started listening to Rush, of course. And a fantastic Canadian band called Triumph.”
In the same interview, Sutherland explained the motivations behind his drastic career switch: “Writing my own songs just seemed like the natural next step, but it took me a long time to get around to it because… well, we all know the stigma that’s attached to an actor who decides to make music. I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’. Even when I started playing gigs, I made sure we were at least 50 miles from LA. I was not looking for attention; I just wanted to hang out with my buddies.”
If you find yourself at a show by The Kiefer Sutherland Band, there’s a strong chance you’ll hear them perform ‘Honey Bee’ by Tom Petty. It’s become a staple in their set and has been played on over 70 occasions, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering Sutherland named it the one track he wishes he wrote.
Speaking to NME, Sutherland said: “Oh, there’s a thousand. ‘Honey Bee’ by Tom Petty would definitely be one of them. It’s a simple song, but it’s such a badass rock tune, and it’s so much fun to play. We played it last set, but I certainly wish I’d written that.”
Sutherland’s love of Petty obviously extends beyond ‘Honey Bee’, although it’s his favourite song by the late singer-songwriter. in the interview mentioned above with Music Radar, the 24 star also talked up ‘Refugee’ from 1979’s Damn The Torpedoes, adding: “The perfect rock song. Say no more.”
Watch the footage below of The Keifer Sutherland Band covering ‘Honey Bee’ by Tom Petty.
