Rising up in Santa Cruz, California, within the Eighties—the place the surfers had been the jocks of the varsity and the Grateful Lifeless had been newly resurgent—a younger Adam Scott was doing what most of us had been doing at a younger age: determining his id by way of music. His older brother revealed to him the myriad secrets and techniques of Led Zeppelin and R.E.M., whereas pop radio and MTV had been shaping his nascent style in apparent however necessary methods. It was the molding of somebody who would quickly turn into an actual head—not only a Deadhead, although he tells me he did see greater than a handful of Lifeless exhibits—however somebody whose deep love of other music would stay alongside his profession as a dryly comedic actor of movie and tv.
If you happen to’ve listened to his digressive, deep-dive music podcasts with comic Scott Aukermen—U Talkin’ U2 to Me?, R U Talkin’ R.E.M. Re: Me?, and, most lately, U Springin’ Springsteen on My Bean?—you recognize that Scott is a self-professed nerd concerning the music of his life. It was a pleasure to cut it up with him about how albums got here into and stayed in his life, the way it linked to his buddies, household, and life as an actor, and the way troublesome it was to not decide an R.E.M. album for each 5 years of his life.
Scott is at the moment starring in Apple TV+’s sci-fi collection Severance, whose Season 2 finale aired final night time. Season 3 is on the best way, too.
Cat Stevens: Teaser and the Firecat
That was across the time of my dad transferring out, which I don’t actually keep in mind that nicely, however I do keep in mind Teaser and the Firecat being a factor in these days. Later as a teen, once I rediscovered the album, it was considerably acquainted to me. I even keep in mind at one level moving into that album as a teen and being like, “Whoa, that is cool,” and my mother later telling me that once I reapproached the album as a teen and was enjoying it in my room, she tried to get away from it as a result of it reminded her of a troublesome time. In order that’s why I keep in mind it. However they shielded me from any powerful time and I simply remembered the album itself being this heat, beautiful factor.
I imply, there’s “The Wind,” which was used so nicely in Rushmore. However “Tuesday’s Lifeless” is the one the place it actually form of expands, and there’s this mandolin solo, and it has the sensation of a stay band form of simply discovering itself by way of the tune. These are objectively nice songs. And if he’s too syrupy for you, I completely perceive and I’ve definitely gone by way of phases of being like, “Ugh, what the fuck is that this?” And never listening to Cat Stevens for 12 years or one thing and coming again to it and being like, “Oh my God, that is so good.”