‘At 18 I Was Having Sex With Brian Eno’s Music’: Tim Booth’s Honest Playlist | Tim Booth

The first song I fell in love with
My older sister, Penny, played So Long, Marianne by Leonard Cohen when I was eight, as a form of initiation, to say, “Now this He’s a real poet.” It sounded forbidden and so different from all the pop rubbish I heard in my white, suburban upbringing, and it gave me a taste for adult romances that no child could understand. I loved my sister and I wanted to impress her.

First song I bought
I had WH Smith codes when I was a kid, so I must have used the bloody stuff. When I was 15, I ordered the song Hey Joe/Radio Bosnia from Patti Smith in the mail, and I played it as if it were the word of God.

Best song to play at a party
8 Ball by Underworld is amazing. She is glamorous, sexy and seduces you.

The song I play at karaoke
I don’t usually do karaoke, but if the machine stretches to Paddy McGinty’s Goat by Val Doonican, I’ll be there.

The song I no longer listen to
I had a brief flirtation with magic when I was thirteen, and I fell in love with Sebastian from Cockney Rebel. It now sounds preposterous, full of droning strings and a nonsense chorus.

The song I secretly love, but tell everyone I hate
I think people wouldn’t think Billie Eilish or Beyonce are on my channel, but they’re great. I have a soft spot for Vincent Van Gogh, so Don McLean’s Vincent would have moved me to tears when I was younger.

Best song for sex
I was into Brian Eno’s Discreet Music when I was 18, and I ended up associating his music ambient with sex rather than New Age music. It’s great music for making love because it slows everything down, which is what men need and, in my experience, women appreciate.

The song that changed my life
I first heard Patti Smith’s “Birdland” the night I was told my father would probably die, when I was sixteen. She taught me that music can be medicine for someone who is hurting. The lyrics are about the dissident psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich, who I ended up studying, and who helped me lead the world of alternative therapy that has enriched my life.

The song that wakes me up in the morning
I can’t listen to music in the morning. I’m waking up slowly, needing a quiet cup of tea to collect my thoughts.

The song that makes me cry
The live version of I Wish I Knew What It Would Feel Like to Be Free by Nina Simone is destroying me. It embodies the weight she carried from black oppression with her mental health. The version on YouTube is amazing – it’s right on the edge where it can still work, which is an incredible line for any artist.

The song I would want played at my funeral
“On This Rock” by Jocelyn Bock, which James used as our intro music before we went on stage.

Tim Booth’s debut novel, When I First Died, is out now In hardcover and audiobooks. James tour in April.