A Taste:

The Doors, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Lady GaGa

“I think playing music does help with acting,” says Dennis Quaid with a smile. “It actually helps me on talk shows too [Laughs]. They’re both basically getting up in front of a live audience and winging it!”

Quaid’s so good at what he does that it never seems like he’s just winging it though. He can tear up a stage live with his band, The Sharks, and he also manages to tear up the screen in the sci-fi horror epic, Pandorum. In the film, he wakes from a deep hyper sleep to find that he’s definitely not alone in the middle of the galaxy. What follows is truly terrifying.

However, there’s nothing to be scared of on Dennis’s playlist—other than maybe Lady GaGa.

Quaid laughs, “I really like Lady GaGa to tell you the truth—my guilty pleasure!”

Dennis shared his playlist with ARTISTdirect.com in this exclusive feature. Check it out below and don’t miss him in Pandorum, in theaters today, Friday September 25.

Dennis Quaid’s Playlist:

1. The Doors

2. The Beatles

3. The Rolling Stones

4. Aerosmith

“I’m an old school dude!”

5. Lady GaGa

“I’m a junkyard of music actually. I’m a true fan. I definitely dig the classics and Lady Gaga [Laughs].”

—Rick Florino
09.25.09

A Taste:

Outkast, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, A Tribe Called Quest

Jonathan Chase can do it all.

In fact, on September 4th, you can catch the young actor in two very different fall flicks. Not only is he in the epic sci-fi Hellride Gamer, but he’s also in Sandra Bullock’s latest romantic comedy All About Steve.

About Gamer, he laughs, “It’s definitely a guys’ movie! It’s just crazy! The script reads like a great movie and a video game mixed. You can’t tell if you’re playing or if you’re watching it. I remember picking it up and being like, ‘Holy shit, I want to be a part of this!’”

Chase’s musical taste is just as eclectic as his performance style, and that’s clear from one glance at his playlist. He continues, “I just pressed ’shuffle,’ and this is where I landed. There are some surprises. I might blush a little bit [Laughs].”

In this exclusive feature for ARTISTdirect.com, he shared his playlist. Check it out below!

Jonathan Chase’s Playlist:

1. The Rolling Stones — “Paint It Black”

You cannot go wrong with this! I grew up in Flushing, Queens, and my father always played the Stones and Jethro Tull. “Paint It Black” was my favorite song. It just puts you in a dark mood. It gets you pumped. The intro riff pulls you right in. These guys grew up in a totally different era. How many of us wish we could’ve grown up in that era and experienced things that those guys did? The Stones still perform with a zest for life. I still haven’t seen them yet though.

2. Led Zeppelin — “The Misty Mountain Hop”

The first couple eight counts get right in your head, just like “Paint It Black.” It paints a picture for you.

3. Outkast — “Atliens”

I’m a huge fan of Andre 3000 and Big Boi. They take every single musical style and combine them. I know every word to this rap, but I won’t go through it [Laughs]. This song brings me back to high school. I was a white Jewish kid from suburbia going, “This makes me feel tougher!” [Laughs] I love Outkast. I saw their movie. I have every single album and every compilation they’ve ever done. I saw them live at the University of Florida. Andre’s style is out of control. He was wearing big, baggy flared multi-colored clown pants with a shoulder strap on. They come from a different world! Nothing is like Outkast. They’re my favorite rap group of all-time. They’re unbelievable. Andre’s a good actor too!

4. The Drifters — “Saturday Night At the Movies”

I’m a huge fan of MoTown, and this is maybe where it gets a little embarrassing for me. I like a lot of lyrics that get me to move or make me laugh. “Under the Boardwalk” is one of my favorite songs from The Drifters, but “Saturday Night At the Movies” is great. The Drifters are an unbelievable MoTown group. I love when people can harmonize—when all artists can come together and sound like one. It’s amazing when they can create something from nothing. It’s like a movie where thousands of people come together for one purpose. The Drifters only have a handful of songs, but what they did make was fun.

5. Louis Prima — “Banana Splits for My Baby”

I love Louie Prima! He and Keely Smith were hilarious together. Some of the stuff that they did was so sweet. Louie makes references to the food at the end, “Separate checks it must be, charge the split to her and the water to me.” [Laughs] He’s just laughing. A lot of it has the army trumpets and the sounds of the military. “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” is a great back-and-forth between them too. Louie Prima’s music is so rich! His voice is distinct, and it makes you smile.

6. Simon & Garfunkel — “The Sound of Silence”

Paul Simon is an amazing writer! I saw Simon & Garfunkel live in South Florida, and they were unbelievable still. “Sound of Silence” puts you in a really peaceful mood.

7. Jurassic 5 — “Improvise”

I’m a huge fan of Jurassic 5! I caught a show in L.A. years ago. They pass the mic around like The Beastie Boys. Their lyric “We take five MCs and make them sound like one.” They go back and forth and pass the mic around so much. It’s not about them; it’s about the music. They’re a smooth group.

8. Billy Joel — “Lullaby”

I love every song he’s ever done, “Lullaby” is one of my favorites because I lost someone years ago and that song embodies who they were. It’s one of those songs that can bring me to tears in five seconds. That song is unbelievable. I always wanted to know who he was singing to. I imagine it’s his daughter or his son. It’s amazing.

9. A Tribe Called Quest — “Bonita Apple Bomb”

I had to throw this on there. I love Tribe. This song is about the hot chick you just can’t get [Laughs]. They were an amazing group! They split, and each member still has a great career.

—Rick Florino
07.06.09

A Taste:

Air Supply, The Rolling Stones, Dan Fogelberg

Everybody loves Manny.

Ray Romano’s mammoth is back in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and this time he’s three-dimensional. In what’s bound to be one of the summer’s “coolest” family films, Romano once again brings the pre-historic creature back from extinction in hilarious fashion. It’s hard not to love a giant mammoth, and Romano makes him even more lovable.

In this exclusive feature, Romano opened up his iTunes and shared his playlist with us. He laughed, “You want to embarrass me? You want to fight first? [Laughs]”

Check out Ray’s playlist below and catch him in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs on July 1st.

Ray Romano’s Playlist:

1. Air Supply

I listen to a lot of ’70s classic rock, but then I listen to pop too. I love Air Supply. You know who that is?

2. Chicago

I grew up in the ’70s, and I was big fan of early Chicago—especially, the Chicago II album and stuff like that.

3. Neil Sedaka

4. The Beatles

Of course!

5. The Rolling Stones

6. Dan Fogelberg

That’s it [Laughs].

—Rick Florino
06.29.09

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:

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Arthur Brown, The Tramps

Bigelf make timeless hard rock. Blending a pronounced theatricality with bombastic riffs and balls-to-the-wall vocals, they conjure an ungodly rock n’ roll thunder on their latest album, Cheat the Gallows.

Frontman Damon Fox spoke to us for this exclusive playlist feature. He opened up his iTunes for us, and it’s no surprise that he’s been blaring a whole lot of classic rock! Check out Damon’s playlist below!

Damon Fox’s Playlist:

1. The Clash — “This is Radio Clash”

“I always dig a song with the band name in the title. The Clash proves you can be cool and be political. I remember wearing army jackets in the early ’80s because of them, but then again, camo is always in.”

2. The James Gang — “Funk 49″

“Joe Walsh is completely underrated as a guitarist. Whenever I want to just let it hang loose, James Gang is the only way.”

3. Arthur Brown — “Fire”

“Arthur Brown the originator! No Alice, no Kiss, no shock in rock without him. Having Vincent Crane as your organist doesn’t suck either.”

4. The Beatles — “Hey Jude”

“My trusty iPod always delivers this song. It inspires me to always try to write a better, better, better song. YEAAAAAH! Simply untouchable, best outro EVER!”

5. Ozzy Osbourne — “Suicide Solution”

“I grew up with this album. The ‘Behind The Music’ clip always kills me. ‘Get the gun, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.’ Yeah right, whatever. Ozzy’s finest solo material about Bon Scott.”

6. The Beatles — “Piggies”

“It’s a Beatlefest on my iPod. When I hear this I want to put more harpsichord in Bigelf songs. Too bad Charles Manson historically attached himself to this little gem. Cool bridge.”

7. The Rolling Stones — “It’s Only Rock & Roll”

“This has got to be one of the greatest lines in rock history! ‘I know it’s only rock and roll, but I like it?????’ I’ll never come up with something so genius. Maybe I need a sailor outfit?”

8. Sweet — “Medussa”

“I always listen to Sweet, another criminally underrated band. They were so original, metal, yet pop and glam as well. ‘Medussa’ is a cool track, and it’s only on the import of Desolation Blvd.”

9. The Tramps — “Disco Inferno”

“Ah yes, disco—so trashed and frowned upon at the time. But I love disco. Amazing production, catchy songs (bad lyrics though, I mean how long can you talk about wanting to boogie?) and something most people forget about… phenomenal musicianship! Something that’s seriously lacking in the modern dance music scene today.”

10. The Move — “Do Ya”

“Bigelf covered this in the mid-90’s. What a chorus!”

11. Queen — “Brighton Rock”

“Queen has had a big impact on me throughout my life. They proved you can take chances and get away with it(well, maybe not “Hot Space”). Freddie Mercury is definitely a special, unique artist, I wish he was still alive. He’s definitely one of my idols.”

—Rick Florino
04.29.09

A Taste:

The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones

Arielle Kebbel found inspiration from many different places for her character Alex Rydell in The Uninvited, including the musical world. She has a diverse palette for sonic treats, and she shared musical experiences, her ideas for a soundtrack, and some of her favorite bands with us in this exclusive interview.

If you were to create a soundtrack for the film, what bands would you pick and why?

Good question! It’s funny I am very sensitive to music with all of my characters. I actually spend a lot of time thinking about music ahead of time and what the character would listen to and maybe what Arielle Kebbel would listen to in order to help get me into that character. So for me, Incubus has significant meaning just because that was how I started my day every morning. It was one of the soundtracks that helped transfer me from Arielle to Alex. So now anytime I hear a couple of those songs—which I prefer to keep private—it takes me back to feeling like Alex for a minute [laughs].

Are there any other bands that you really dig?

I love music. I literally, on an average day, will go from listening to country to rock to rap. I’ve got my Florida in me, and I love rap [laughs]. From there, I’ll even go to NPR or classic rock. It really varies from minute to minute. I’m very opinionated. I love working out to hard rock, actually! I like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. I love The Rolling Stones. Thinking of my iPod, I have EVERYTHING. I also did a music video for Buckcherry.

Which music video?

It was called “Don’t Go Away.” It’s their new single. I really liked the song. It’s funny talking about the emotional ties to music. I didn’t have any connection to it other than that I’d listened to the song before we shot the video. Because the director had me go through the range of emotions from happy to reflecting on a relationship to screaming to crying, I became immersed in it. It was funny because by the time I walked away from shooting that day and walked away from the song, I realized I loved it [laughs]. It’s just because you recognize that there’s so much deep-rooted attachment.

Especially when you meet the musicians.

Oh yeah, that always helps [laughs].

What’s next for you?

I have a comedy for Screen Gems called Mardi Gras coming out. Three college guys head down to Mardi Gras for a weekend trip. I’m the fun-loving, sarcastic, quirky girl that the main character thinks he had in his girlfriend and then realizes he didn’t. We have this fun little fling for the weekend. It’s very cute.

—Rick Florino
01.27.09