A Taste:

Bob Dylan, The Fugees, Dave Matthews Band

Hope Olaide Wilson has got the new Black Eyed Peas song, “Boom Boom Pow,” stuck in her head at the moment.

She laughs, “I can’t tell if I hate it or I love it, but I’m always singing it!”

Fergie and Co. tend to have that effect. Hope is the star of Tyler Perry’s forthcoming fall comedy, I Can Do Bad All By Myself [Lions Gate], and she happens to have quite a diverse musical palette. In this exclusive feature for ARTISTdirect.com, Hope opened up her iTunes and shared what she’s spinning.

Check out Hope’s playlist below and catch her in I Can Do Bad All By Myself this fall!

Hope Olaide Wilson’s Playlist:

1. Bob Dylan — “Ain’t Talkin’”

I’ve been listening to a lot of Bob Dylan. One song I really love is about nine minutes long, and it’s called “Ain’t Talkin’.” It’s this weird story about walking alone through this mystic garden, and then he gets attacked. It’s really cool; it’s like a weird fairy tale mystery. It’s one of my favorites. The lyrics are amazing, and he’s such a great storyteller. It’s literally like you’re reading a thriller [Laughs].

2. Dave Matthews Band — “Busted Stuff”

Dave has a song called “Busted Stuff” that I love. I play that one over and over again all the time.

3. The Fugees — “Ready or Not”

I’ve been listening to “Ready or Not” a lot. It reminds me of when I first moved to America for some reason. It was played all the time around then.

4. Nick Drake — “Time Has Told Me”

I love everything he’s done. I was introduced to his music on accident, and I was so excited when I heard it. I really wanted to see him in concert, but I found out that he died really young. His music is amazing. My favorite song is called “Time Has Told Me.” All of his songs are really haunting and beautiful. He’s really talented but not really people know about him, and his music gets passed on by word of mouth. He didn’t quite to get to taste his success or how big he’d be. After he died, he sort of became an icon.

5. Tracy Chapman — “The Promise”

I love “The Promise.” It’s really pretty and simple. I love songs that tell stories but are beautiful in their simplicity. They can take you somewhere without all of these crazy hooks and beats.

6. Imogen Heap — “Hide and Seek”

7. Black Eyed Peas — “Boom Boom Pow”

I can’t get this song out of my head! It’s constantly playing, and I listen to it at the gym a lot. I can’t stop singing it [Laughs].

8. Metric — “White Gold”

They’re this weird retro pop rock band. They’ve got a song called “White Gold” that I really like.

9. The Beatles — “Yet to Stay”

I listen to them again and again!

10. Coldplay — “Swallowed in the Sea”

Their songs are beautiful. I think I’m going through a weird haunting music phase or something, but I love listening to them [Laughs]. They have this song called “Swallowed In the Sea,” and it’s just really pretty. I love to sing it all the time.

11. Counting Crows — “Color Blind”

It’s so beautiful! I love this song!

—Rick Florino
07.21.09

A Taste:

Bob Dylan, Arctic Monkeys, The French Kicks

Adam Brody’s feeling quite inspired lately.

Maybe it’s the fact that he’s in one of the most intriguing dramas of the year, Death In Love. Or maybe it’s because he’s got the dark and sexy Jennifer’s Body with Megan Fox on the horizon for September. Most likely though, his state of inspiration is because he’s going through a series re-education musically.

“Music is a big part of my life so I try to take it with me in whatever I do. I’ve been on a real classic rock kick lately though,” laughs Brody.

That “classic rock” kick has inspired him to check out all kinds of stuff that was under his nose for years but he never delved into until now. Brody turned his iPod and gave ARTISTdirect.com an exclusive look at what’s rocking his world right now.

Check out his playlist below and don’t miss his incendiary performance in Death In Love out now.

Adam Brody’s Playlist:

1. Bob Dylan

Right now, I’m all about Bob Dylan. My brother has seen him a bunch of times and is a huge fan. Obviously I’ve listened to some stuff over the years. However, it’s taken me this long to get very into him. Now that I’m into him, I feel like an idiot for taking 20 million years to do it! He’s the coolest guy who ever lived [Laughs]. I really like all of his albums from the ’70s. If you’re a Bob Dylan fan, you’d know these albums. However, I didn’t. I really like John Wesley Harding. I love Blood on the Tracks. I like Self-Portrait. He’s got such a huge catalog, and that’s what I love about him the most. What a wordsmith, man! Especially on top of good beats and music…I’m not a lyric guy first. I listen to the tune and the lyrics typically grab me after. His lyrics are so amazing that you can’t help but be sucked in anyway. He was so young when he was writing about what he was writing about. He’s so cool and manly. Poetry about being a hobo—love it.

2. The French Kicks

I love them. I can never get sick of The French Kicks! Their latest album is great.

3. Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys released an EP the other day. I totally like the new song they put out. They’re as cool as it gets too. They played Saturday Night Live on their first album, and it was so awesome. They played a five-minute song with a huge musical intro and outro. They were so confident and cocky. They just did their thing and rocked so hard! They get really heavy. Interpol is also one of my favorite bands, and I see some similarities between them and Arctic Monkeys. They have these big instrumental buildups and breakdowns but they’re all very precise. Even when they trade guitar licks, they’ll use two guitars and make one constant sound. I don’t how to describe it. I like Arctic Monkeys’ song structure among other things. I like that, like Interpol, their stuff gets so heavy and loud but they don’t really have to move a lot. They’re not playing with a lot of energy. Their music does it all.

4. Interpol

Their first album is still the best to me. I love that they haven’t put out too much—just three albums and a couple EPs. I like prolific songwriters too. They’re the opposite of Bob Dylan. I appreciate his vast song book, but I’m also a fan of economy and believe that sometimes less is more. I appreciate just a solid album a couple of years. I like whittling it down—a small compact collection. I think the same could be said about their music.

5. Neil Young

I’ve been doing Neil Young a lot, especially On the Beach.

6. Janis Joplin

I downloaded some Janis Joplin the other day, and it’s blowing my mind it’s so good. I’d never got into her before now though.

7. Wilco

The new Wilco is pretty cool.

8. My Morning Jacket

9. The Fleetwoods

I’ve been listening to a lot of Doo Wop—soda pop stuff like this band The Fleetwoods. They’re from the ’40s, and they’re amazing. I think they sang “Lollipop” but they have many more songs that are famous. I’ve been running the whole gamut musically, but I’ve been going older more recently. If a new band comes out now that I know I like, I’ll get it but I’ve given up trying to keep up with new bands. I don’t care about being a “new band guy” anymore. If it’s good enough, it’ll stand the test of time.

—Rick Florino
07.17.09

A Taste:  

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan

Scott Weiland has very good taste.

The Stone Temple Pilots frontman has always dressed debonaire on stage, but his musical taste is equally refined. In fact, glancing at Scott’s playlist shines a little bit of light on this enigmatic legend’s inimitable presence.

Sitting in the studio between recording takes for Stone Temple Pilots’ next offering, he smiles and says, “Recently, my playlist has literally just been The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Bob Dylan for about the last two weeks. I grew up with those artists. I was even turned on to them by my father—my natural father.”

The Stones, Beatles and Dylan have a secured spot in Weiland’s heart the same way Stone Temple Pilots takes up permanent residency in the souls of millions of fans. After working some more, Weiland opened up his iTunes and gave ARTISTdirect.com an exclusive look at what he’s spinning.

Check out his playlist below and, if you’re in Los Angeles, catch Stone Temple Pilots on July 1st at St. Jude’s Rock N’ Roll Hope Show.

Scott Weiland’s Playlist:

1. The Beatles

2. The Rolling Stones

3. Bob Dylan

4. The Libertines

You always go back to the bands you first heard when you were a kid. There are bands that come around every once in awhile that inspire me like The Libertines. They didn’t last very long—kind of like The Sex Pistols. I think they had that magic element. I wish they could’ve stayed together for a longer period more like The Clash did. They were amazing while they were together.

—Rick Florino
06.18.09

A Taste:

Q-Tip, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan

“Vegas is the best way to ruin your life with your friends,” laughs Justin Bartha.

After filming The Hangover in Sin City, Bartha would know best. In the film, which happens to be the funniest comedy so far this year, Bartha’s Doug goes to Vegas with the boys for one last hurrah two nights before his wedding. However, after a legendary night of debauchery, he’s missing and his three best pals have no clue what happened. That’s when the real fun begins.

Each actor in the film, Bartha, Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis has his own style of comedy, but the blend is beyond tasty when they come together.

Bartha continues, “We all hit it off right away. It’s like Stanivlovsky up in this piece [Laughs]. Everyone’s doing his own thing, and the mix is just perfect.”

Bartha opened up his iTunes and gave us an exclusive look at what he’s spinning. Check out his playlist below and make sure to catch The Hangover in theaters everywhere on June 5!

Justin Bartha’s Playlist:

1. Q-Tip — The Renaissance

I like the new Q-Tip album. It’s a good one!

2. Phoenix — Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

The new Phoenix record is really good too.

3. Bob Dylan

I’m always listening to Bob Dylan.

4. Bob Marley

I like anyone named Bob [Laughs]. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to sing a song in the movie. Mike Tyson, Ed and Zach all sing songs [Laughs].

—Rick Florino
06.01.09