Friday, May 22, 2009

Alan Ball’s Itunes Playlist

Alan Ball’s Itunes Playlist

1. Bad Things (Theme from “True Blood) by Jace Everett: ” We used this song as a temporary main title on the True Blood pilot, a placeholder while we looked for something else, but nothing worked as well, because this song and Jace’s performance of it are, well, perfect.”
2. Round the Bend by Beck: ” Once after a knee surgery, i took a vicodin the doctor had prescribed and chased it with a glass of red wine, and about half an hour later I felt all sensation draining out of my body. This song, aside from being gorgeous, reminds me of that feeling.”
3. Mezzanine by Massive Attack: “Hypnotic, dark, and unsettling. Who doesn’t love that?”
4. Love Shack by The B-52’s: “I’m from Georgia like the B-52’s, and this song never fails to make me happy.”
5. O Magnum Mysterium by Robert Shaw & Robert Shaw Chamber Singers: “I play this when I’m really stressed, and it always helps me to calm down and put whatever is stressing me out into perspective. Plus it makes me feel all, like, tragic and redeemed, and heroic.”
6. I Will Follow (2005 Live from Milan) by U2: “I used to play this on my Walkman when I ran, and now I have knee issues. Thanks a lot, U2!”
7. New Coat of Paint by Tom Waits: “How great is Tom Waits? A genius songwriter, with one of the most expressive voices ever.”
8. Over the Rainbow by Keith Jarrett: “This song is a melodic masterpiece - yes, I am gay - and this is a profoundly emotional interpretation that never ceases to move me.”
9. Back to Life (However Do You Want Me) [One World Remix] by Soul II Soul: “This song reminds me of summer night parties in back yards in Brooklyn, back before I moved to Hollywood and sold my soul.”
10. The Very Thought of You by Nat “King” Cole: “Everything about this recording is lush - the melody, his voice, the arrangement. It’s like taking a hot bath in a fur bathtub. With vicodin and red wine.”
11. Save It For Later by The English Beat: “This song still makes me want to dance, even with my bad knees. Thanks, English Beat.”
12. Parrel Life by The Starseeds: “You know that music they play in upscale boutiques, hotels, restaurants, etc., to make you feel really hip and good about yourself so you’ll spend money? This is one of my favorite examples of that kind of music.”
13. Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House: “When I moved from Florida to New York in 1986, I drove for two days in someone else’s car. This song was a big hit at the time, and every radio station played it around the clock, so it always reminds me of that trip, which included a stop at the world famous Natural Bridge in Virginia.”
14 Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing Republican, Straight, White, American Males by Todd Snider: “I discovered Todd Snider while trolling ITunes for songs to put in a True Blood script, and now he is my personal hero.”

Sample them on iTunes

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