A Taste:

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens

Vince Vaughn knows good tunes.

In fact, he’s a veritable music encyclopedia, spouting off the historical origins of everyone from Led Zeppelin to Merle Haggard at the drop of a hat. Vaughn’s love for music manifests in a different fashion in Couples Retreat though.

In one key scene, he lays it all on the line during an incendiary Guitar Hero showdown during Billy Squier’s “Lonely is the Night.” There’s nothing more epic, or hilarious, than that.

Vaughn shared some playlist selections with ARTISTdirect.com editor and Dolor author Rick Florino in this exclusive feature.

Check out Vince’s playlist below and don’t miss Couples Retreat in theaters everywhere now!

Vince Vaughn’s Playlist:

1. Led Zeppelin

2. The Rolling Stones

I think a lot of people’s musical history starts with Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.

3. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

What I liked about the tour that Robert Plant did with Alison Krauss was Plant really went out of his way to talk about American Roots music. They were trying to sound like the old Appalachian singers and a lot of the blues singers. That’s really who their idols are. That show was wonderful because they played a lot of those Led Zeppelin songs Appalachian-style. It was really, really beautiful.

4. Merle Haggard

5. Buck Owens

I can’t listen to a lot of modern stuff because I’m so in love with the older storytellers. I’ve always said that I think music is the highest art form. Music can take you the farthest the fastest emotionally. There’s sculpture, painting and acting, but sound and song are something else. You can be driving your car and that song comes on, and you’re in tears depending on what it is. Buck Owens and Johnny Cash really had some difficult life experiences, and they were telling the stories of their lives through music. There was no endgame necessarily. It’s like the murals in Belfast. They were based on conflicts. Buck was from Sherman Texas. Like in The Grapes of Wrath, he migrated for work, and he ended up in Bakersfield. Merle Haggard is the only person in the Country Music Hall of Fame who was born in California—Bakersfield. I heard a rumor George Jones asked Merle to move next to him. That’d be interesting. I love George, he’s great. Their songs came out of their life experiences. There’s such depth to them. It’s unbelievable.

—Rick Florino
10.13.09