Top 10 Celebs Who Are HUGE Music Nerds
Even celebrities have hobbies. From Dave Chappelle to Fred Armisen to Finn Wolfhard, these stars really love music. WatchMojo is counting down the biggest music nerds in Hollywood.
#10: Edgar Wright
Putting together one hell of an impressive soundtrack for his film Baby Driver, no one can say that this English director does not know his music. Ever since his work on the cult classic sitcom Spaced, Edgar Wright has found new and hilarious ways to seamlessly incorporate songs to add personality to his projects. Demonstrating an eclectic taste, ranging from 90s pop anthems such as The Cardigans’ Lovefool to the greatest cover ever recorded in Shaun of the Dead. Fun fact, in the early 2000s Wright directed a handful of music videos, with one sharing similarities to Baby Driver.
#9: Dave Chappelle
This entry should come as no surprise; after all, his first ever movie role was in a musical comedy. The stand-up comedian has frequently appeared New York’s legendary Radio City Music Hall. Besides his off-brand humor, the Radio City events often include a vast number of musical guests from Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper to Lauryn Hill and Childish Gambino. Not convinced yet? Okay, how about the time Dave Chappelle accidentally landed on the cover of a Prince single? Checkmate indeed.
#8: Finn Wolfhard
As of 2018, Finn has accomplished more in two years than most successful people manage in a lifetime. Reaching prominence after being cast as Mike Wheeler in Netflix's ode to the 1980s, Stranger Things, the Canadian actor spent his time in between seasons starring in music videos, releasing kick ass acoustic covers and demonstrating his love for Weezer's Buddy Holly. Recently, Finn made his behind the scenes debut by co-directing a music video for Spendtime Palace's Sonora.
#7: Jack Black
From School of Rock to the world's best roadie, Jack Black’s extensive movie and TV careers are nearly matched by his musical accomplishments. In the early 90s, Jack teamed up with Kyle Gass to form Tenacious D, a comedy hard-rock band that went on to release three studio albums. Their sophomore record, “The Pick of Destiny”, served as a soundtrack for the duo's musical comedy movie with the same name, which was unfortunately a notorious box office flop. As part of Tenacious D, Jack won a Grammy for the band's cover of Dio's “The Last in Line”.
#6: Maya Rudolph
Before Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids, there was Matt Sharp's The Rentals. Mostly known for her comedy stylings in NBC's long-running sketch show, Maya's background is peppered with cool musical appearances. In support of The Rentals' debut album, Maya served as backing vocalist and keyboardist during their initial tour and even recorded vocals for two songs on their follow up record, Seven More Minutes. Once established within the industry, occasionally, Maya still lent her vocal talent to record a song or two. When not tickling America's funny bone, the actress tours with Princess - a Prince cover band.
#5: Fred Armisen
It’s starting to seem like comedians and musicians go hand in hand. The comedic sidekick and leader of The 8G Band on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen knows his way around a drum set. After moving from New York to Chicago, Fred joined Trenchmouth, a 90s post-hardcore band, as their drummer, and went on to record four full-length records. Music also played a crucial role in launching Fred's TV career, as he often served as an interviewer on HBO's Reverb, a series that spotlighted up-and-coming musical talent.
#4: Jason Schwartzman
This funny man is more than just a constant presence throughout Wes Anderson's filmography. The “Bored to Death” star spent nearly a decade as the drummer for the pop rock outfit, Phantom Planet, before leaving to work on his acting career. This change in focus did not suddenly mean that music was no longer important to Jason; in 2006, he went down the indie singer songwriter route with the creation of Coconut Records. Once in awhile, his two passions even cross streams, like the time he was cast in Judd Apatow's Funny People which featured two Coconut Records songs on its soundtrack.
#3: Scarlett Johansson
Just when we thought Black Widow couldn’t get any cooler, she goes and records an album of Tom Waits' songs with a guest appearance from David Bowie. Her solitary solo album, 2008's Anywhere I Lay My Head, received a lukewarm reception upon release, although NME selected it as their 23rd best album of the year. Since then, the blonde bombshell collaborated with Pete Yorn for an album, formed an all girl band called The Singles, received a cease and desist from another band with the same name, and added her vocals to an Academy nominated track by J. Ralph. Honestly, where does she find the time?
#2: Adam Scott
Is Scott a U2 fan? No. He is a U2 SUPER fan. Parks and Recreations' Ben Wyatt is slowly becoming one of Hollywood's go to comedians, and if they ever decide to do a biopic on Bono, they know who to call. When Adam is not being a dick to Kirsten Bell on The Good Place, the California born comedian occasionally records a podcast for Earwolf entitled U Talkin' U2 To Me?. During the episodes, Adam Scott and Comedy Bang! Bang!'s Scott Aukerman discuss the Irish band's discography and how their music impacted their lives, often using it as a means to unleash some hilarious life lessons.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Daniel Radcliffe
Robert Pattinson
#1: Elijah Wood
An accomplished actor, gamer, producer and DJ; this Lord of the Rings star might just be cooler offscreen than on it. Building on the recognition earned via Peter Jackson's trilogy; Elijah established his own record label, Simian Records, with Robert Schneider's The Apple in Stereo being the first band he signed. As his film and TV career continued to flourish, Elijah also found time to form Wooden Wisdom, a DJ team with his friend Zach Cowie, and dedicated years touring in support of the project. To save you a google search – no – his stage name is not DJ Frodo. We are also disappointed.