Hugh Laurie's Desert Island Discs playlist
For those telly watchers that spent eight series of House thinking that they’d like to be stranded on a desert island with Hugh Laurie, rather than Dr. Gregory House, probably had a roller coaster ride recently with the actor’s appearance on the BBC Radio 4 program, Desert Island Discs. At long last, the opportunity would present itself to actually find out what Laurie would take with him and then, in an instant, realize that according to the rules of the road from original creator/host, Roy Plomley, you can take another human being with you to the island. Oh, well. Time to live vicariously.
The program, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2012, makes for great radio. Each week a distinguished guest, or ‘castaway’, is asked to choose eight pieces of music, a book and a luxury item that they would take if they were to be castaway on a desert island, while discussing their lives and the reasons for their choices.
This past Sunday, the world’s most curmudgeonly Doctor (with Dr. Martin Ellingham running a close second), shared his favorite discs with program host, Kirsty Young. Hugh Laurie, who released his second blues/jazz CD, Didn’t It Rain back in May 2013 following the successful release of his first, Let Them Talk, back in 2011, had some stellar and very varied choices for music. You can listen to Laurie’s reasoning behind the choices on the show’s podcast here.
Hugh Laurie’s Desert Island Disc selection – 23 June 2013
- Joe Cocker – The Letter
- Sister Rosetta Tharpe – My Journey to the Sky
- Randy Newman – Louisiana 1927
- Professor Longhair – Go to the Mardi Gras
- Son House – Grinnin’ in your face
- Nina Simone – I wish I knew how it would be to be free
- Lester Young-Buddy Rich Trio – I Cover the Waterfront
- Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl (Castaway’s favorite)
Laurie also let out that he and his former comedy partner, Stephen Fry, “often” talk about a reunion. He did acknowledge that whatever they come up with, it would probably not be a sketch show in the vein of their earlier bit of brilliance, A Bit of Fry and Laurie. “I think probably sketching is a young man’s game because, by and large, it’s about mocking people much older than you,” he said. “We are now not only the age of cabinet ministers, we are actually probably older than half the cabinet.”
Hugh Laurie’s Desert Island Disc selection – May 1996
Interestingly, Laurie was also stranded on the fictional desert island back in May of 1996 where he shared a bit of a different playlist but with the same ‘castaway favorite’.
- Muddy Waters – I Want To Be Loved
- Max Bruch – Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor
- Soloist: Pinchas Zukerman Orchestra: The London Philharmonic Orchestra
- The Rolling Stones – Tumbling Dice
- Frank Sinatra & Count Basie – Love Is The Tender Trap
- Ian Dury and The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold – The Sea Hawk
- Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl (Castaway’s favorite)
- Dr. John – Me Minus You Equals Loneliness
You may not be able to be on the island with Laurie, but at least now you know what you would be listening to if you could.
