In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Mike Patton has shared some insight into how he’s getting through self-isolating due to coronavirus – through music and films.
On the musical side, the Faith No More bandleader says he’s been listening to “comforting, yet hallucinatory” exotica records, listing many of them in the article. Patton drops the likes of Les Baxter, Ferrante & Teicher, André Popp, Dick Hyman and many more.
Encouraging fans to “hang tough” and “watch epic films”, Patton recommends epic sword-and-sandal and gangster films, suggesting the longer the better – “anything that soaks up this quicksand of time we are in.”
He goes on to recommend the likes of Barrabas, Lawrence of Arabaria, The Godfather and Goodfellas, along with some “paranoiac” picks – such as Pandemic, Contagion, Panic Room and The Shining.
In the interview, Patton also says he’s been using the time to write new material, saying he’s “Working on several records at once, which isn’t abnormal for me, but it is somehow refreshing to not have other distractions interfering.”
Patton went on to add that the “gravity of the situation” does make things feel different. “Although I am lucky enough to hopefully survive this, I have had an entire year of tours canceled, between different bands, and that certainly does weigh on me, the bands I’m working with, and obviously the fans who may or may not have purchased tickets! So … basically, it sucks.”
“Personally, this lockdown lifestyle is not terribly different from my normal routine, as I’m quite hermetic and private. But sometimes it does resonate deeper — like, when you want to hit a restaurant with family or friends. No. What do we do? We adapt or die.”
Read Patton’s picks below, and check out the full article over at Rolling Stone.
Earlier this month, Faith No More announced rescheduled Australian tour dates for next year. The run of arena dates was originally planned to kick off this May, but will now take place in February and March 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mike Patton’s music recommendations
Les Baxter – Space Escapade, The Passions, and Ritual of the Savage
Ferrante & Teicher – Denizens of the Deep
André Popp – Delirium in Hi-Fi
Dick Hyman – Electric Eclectics and Moon Gas
Yma Sumac – Voice of the Xtabay
Esquivel – Latin-Esque
Bernard Parmegiani – Pop’eclectic
Jean-Claude Vannier – Electro Rapide
Raymond Scott – Manhattan Research Inc., Soothing Sounds for Baby
The Voyager Golden Record
Mike Patton’s film recommendations
Barrabas
Ben-Hur
Lawrence of Arabia
The Godfather
Goodfellas
The Dollars trilogy
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
THX 1138
Marooned
Woman in the Dunes
Pandemic
Contagion
Panic Room
The Shining
Seconds
