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Kate > Kate's Favourite Music
It's no secret that Kate is a big music fan, and as she says herself - "Music is probably one of the most
important things in my life", so here you can find out all about what Kate listens to, and even sample
the music yourself.
The Black Crowes
Where better to start the 'Kate's favourite music' page than with her husband's band, The Black Crowes?! However,
Kate has stated she was a fan of the band before she met Chris. She confesses - "I listen to his music all the time.
When he's not around it gives me a chance to listen to him. Before I met him I was such a big Black Crowes fan. I
have all these shows and all these bootlegs that I just always put them on and listen to them because they're a
great band."
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Bob Dylan
Possibly Kate's favourite musician, as she has talked enthusiastically about him in many interviews. She and Chris
are big fans, and "Lay Lady Lay" is 'their song'. When talking about her music loves once, she confessed he "is one
that I went and saw for the first time in Anaheim (Calif.) and flipped out. I couldn't believe I was looking at
Bob Dylan - I couldn't believe it. And he's one of those guys that I think I could be speechless if I shook his hand."
Her favourite album of his is "Blood on the Tracks".
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Joni Mitchell
Another artist that Kate has mentioned a lot is Joni Mitchell, and she says that the song "River" makes her cry. Joni
features on the song "Laughing" on the album "If I Could Only Remember My Name" by David Crosby, and this is one
of Kate's favourite albums. Joni's song "Blue" was featured in Almost Famous. Visit Joni's official site at
jonimitchell.com.
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The Grateful Dead
Famously, The Grateful Dead song "I Know You Rider" was a part inspiration for Kate and Chris naming their son
Ryder. Kate said - "We're Dead (Grateful Dead) fans and I Know You Rider is one of our favorite songs. I just
went, 'Ryder,' that sounds great and it feels like him." "American Beauty is one of my favorite albums" she says
as well.
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Very much into the Almost Famous-era rock'n'roll music, Kate lists her other favourites as being The Rolling Stones,
The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. Kate has talked enthusiastically about how how Jimmy Page helped inspire her role as
Penny Lane. And when asked which rock band she would date, if she could, she said "Can I go back? Because then it
would be the Rolling Stones and Keith would be my man." Kate and Chris are also into folk music. When asked about
her favourite albums back in 2002, Kate said - "If I Could Only Remember My Name", David Crosby. It's one of my
favorite albums. My favorite is "Laughing", the Joni Mitchell song (mentioned above). We love "The Incredible
String Band". We're really into it. We listen to a lot of John Harding. He sang "Dolphins" but a really beautiful
version of it. We've been really into folk music lately and "The Tower Recordings", kids from Brooklyn. It's
like '60's psychedelic music." In 2004 she added to that list - "John Renbourn is something we've been
listening to a lot lately. Chris is just a wellspring of music. He's always discovering new bands. Almost a year
ago we were listening to The Polyphonic Sprees. My husband is weird. You sell a song to a commercial and they're
out. He's really into more independent music." Also on that favourites list are "Revolver" by the Beatles, and
"Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan. She admits that when in the car Chris controls the music, and that he travels
"with like 200 CD's."
What about contemporary music? Kate doesn't appreciate much contemporary music, saying that she doesn't feel it has
any meaning to it. She makes an exception for Coldplay, however - "I just bought Cold Play, I'm really into them" and
"I am really digging [them] right now; they're not rock and roll music." She likes Coldplay because she loves anything
that has an "emotional story" to it.
When asked what she thought the "mystique is behind rock bands?" she replies "There are two answers to that. Bad bands
- people who aren't really making music, where it's just a show, where the people don't write their own music, and even
if they do it's not very good - I think people gravitate to them because they're famous or they're hip at the time.
Real rock bands, I think people gravitate to them because their music moves them and makes them feel a part of
something greater."
So why does she prefer the golden era of rock'n'roll to today's products? "How I feel about music today is.., they did
it and they're doing it and whatever. Good for you, fine, go do it, but I don't personally respond to it. That doesn't
mean that someone else doesn't respond and that doesn't make them bad people because I don't like their music. I just
think that there is nothing out there that's sincere. Sincerity is such a huge part of anything that's artistic
or of an artistic product. Do you know what I mean? It's so important. I watch Chris and his band and everything that
they do is sincere, everything... I think,'no wonder you guys have such problems with people who aren't'... It's
because they don't give a shit about what people think because it's their music and it will always be theirs and
that's all that matters. That's admirable to me. All the stuff that's going on now with people not writing their
own music and everything being so consumer-driven and all, it just doesn't interest me. I love music. Music is
such an important part of our culture, and right now it's in such a bad place.
Kate has a bit of a musical talent in her as well. She plays the piano and guitar, and enjoys writing lyrics. She can
also be heard singing in many of her films, including About Adam, Almost Famous and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.
But when asked whether she would be recording an album anytime, she answers with a "not if I can help it!", believing
that she is an actress and the boundaries into the music world shouldn't be crossed. "I don't want to do an album
because it [music] doesn't mean anything right now". But if she did go into the studio to record an album, what
would it soundlike? "I enjoy country and the blues. I'm a big fan of people like Neil Young and Bob Dylan. But I
would also say folk, like Joan Baez -- she's got an incredible voice."
So where did her love for music begin? She remember the first records she bought, and admits "it's really embarrassing.
There are actually two that I bought myself with my own money; "Starlight Starbright" (aka Lucky Star) by Madonna and a
little Van Halen's "Jump".
A music page here wouldn't be complete without the mention of two songs - Katie Dear and Tiny Dancer.
Chris write Katie Dear for his wife and it was included on his 2002 solo album 'New Earth Mud'. A friend of Chris'
said this song was like "getting inside his head" and showed how happy he was feeling about life and love. Read the
lyrics here. Tiny Dancer is of course a song featured in Almost Famous, and when
reading the lyrics you can see how easily
it could be applied not only to Penny Lane, but to Kate herself!
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