Most of us are locked in, all of us have lost the chance to socialise, to meet and drink and talk and eat and see music and work out and enjoy things outside the house. But music doesn’t have to stop and The Great Confinement has opened up a chance to explore at home, to dig up old favourites and find new pleasures.
In this series we ask: what music is making your life better? Today, author, columnist and Young Talent Time tragic, Kerri Sackville.
WHAT ALBUMS OR ARTISTS HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING SINCE BEING CONFINED TO HOME?
Let me start by confessing that I have watch a lot of Netflix in lockdown (also Binge, Prime TV, Stan…) And in the process, I have become deeply attached to a few scores from TV shows. I’ve always loved really rousing movie soundtracks; Tangerine Dream from Risky Business, Morricone’s music for The Mission, Michael Nyman’s score for The Piano.
I listen to the music and I replay the scenes from the movies in my mind. In lockdown I discovered some seriously good scores and theme songs, and by the time I finished bingeing the shows they were deeply embedded in my psyche.
WHICH HAVE BEEN GETTING MULTIPLE SPINS?
I love the soundtrack from The White Lotus, it’s both cheery and creepy and reminds me of my times in Hawaii – the fun times in the sun and sand, and also the time I was caught in a Hurricane with my bestie and we drank gin and ate chocolate and wondered if we’d die. I’ve also become obsessed with the Succession soundtrack. It’s so rhythmic and exciting and also a little bit off, like a regular orchestral score that has been remixed by Hannibal Lecter. I have listened to it dozens of times, maybe hundreds, and it gets me all stirred up, every time.
HOW HAS LOCKDOWN CHANGED THE WAY YOU CONSUME MUSIC?
Well, I used to listen to music in my car, and when I was prepping to go out. Now I am rarely in my car and I haven’t been going out, so that’s cancelled. In lockdown I’ve mainly listened to music when I do my evening angry walk. And when I am stressed, I sit at my computer and watch music videos for the full immersive experience.
WHAT ALBUM FROM YOUR PAST HAVE YOU REDISCOVERED? WHAT DO YOU STILL LOVE ABOUT IT?
I’ve been re-listening to Duran Duran. All of their albums, really. My god, the boys were good. And so attractive. And so tall!
Seven and the Ragged Tiger is probably my favourite album, for the fabulous melodies and the absolutely ludicrous lyrics. My whole life is about putting words together in careful order and Duran Duran are singing, “The reflex is a lonely child”, and “The union of the snake is on the climb!” and I’m like, ‘YEAH SO RELATABLE!!!’
HAVE YOU FOUND NEW MUSIC – OR AN ARTIST OR GENRE - THAT WAS UNEXPECTED? WHAT’S EXCITED YOU ABOUT IT?
I watched the Blackpink doco with my daughters and found it all quite fascinating and thrilling and then I became a bit hooked on Blackpink. I don’t understand a word of the lyrics but my god the tunes are catchy. They’re like the love child of Stock Aitkin Waterman and Dr Dre. I’ve listened to Whistle so many times I can sing along with it in Korean.
Of course, my kids are horrified. “You like K Pop, Mum? What the hell?” But I find the songs very energising and I dance to them in my bedroom (with the door closed to protect the kids).
WHAT’S THE BEST MUSIC TO FLATTEN YOUR (ANXIETY) CURVE?
Young Talent Time music videos. Yes. It’s true. I was obsessed with that show when I was a kid, and when an old video of the team came up in my Facebook feed recently, I went down a rabbit hole and still haven’t found my way back.
Dance Electric with the 1986 team is my absolute favourite. I love the song and I love the kids’ voices and I love watching them mess up their routine. My second favourite is Courtney Companino singing What a Wonderful World several years later. It makes me cry. Watching those kids perform such innocent, wholesome songs takes me back to a simpler time when we didn’t have social media or twerking or incels or Covid.
On the flip side, I am still filled with a searing envy that I didn’t get to be on the show. It is a physical pain that may never fully heal.
Kerri Sackville will have a new book in 2022. She is permanently ready for the call from Johnny Young.