Steven Fairweather is a Canadian musician, radio show host, and comic book writer. He is best known as the bassist of the punk band Gob and the founder of Stranger Radio, an independent online radio station.
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Before the internet, before streaming, before Shazam could tell you what was playing in my local dive bar jukebox in five seconds flat -- movies and TV were my musical lifeline. Growing up, film and television weren’t just entertainment -- they were the gateway and maybe more importantly a getaway. I didn’t discover bands through algorithms or playlists. I found them through VHS tapes, late-night reruns, SNL, and even the credits rolling after a sad-ass movie or the Hulk tv show that left my heart feeling fucked -- in the best way.
The very first piece of music I ever owned was a 45 vinyl of The Greatest American Hero TV theme, “Believe It or Not.” My mum and I got it at the mall. I must’ve played it a hundred times. Then came that unforgettable moment in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off -- “Twist and Shout” blaring through the streets of Chicago. From that second on, I was hooked.
Those moments were like gluten-free but sweet French breadcrumbs, leading me deeper and deeper into a lifelong love affair with music. So here it is:
My Top 5 Movie Soundtracks
1
The Crow (1994)
This soundtrack is pure atmosphere, and it came out at the perfect age for me - - growing up a goth AD kid. It's brooding, it's gritty, and it's beautiful. You’ve got Nine Inch Nails covering Joy Division, The Cure giving you a track that’s one of my all-time favorites-- and that Helmet song is still so sick.
2
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
This one’s like a carefully curated mixtape made by your friend with flawless taste and vision. You’ve got Nico and Nick Drake becoming icons to a whole new generation, Elliott Smith killing it in the most Elliott way, The Velvet Underground… It’s an emotionally loaded album, but with fun shit too-- like The Ramones. This one made me realize how powerful the right track can be with the right visuals. That moment with Elliott Smith’s “Needle in the Hay”? Brutal. Beautiful.
3
Natural Born Killers (1994)
Oliver Stone let an up-and-coming Trent Reznor stitch this thing together like Dr. Frankenstein. When it dropped, it felt different. Soundbites, radio static, layered tracks -- but it still flowed. It exposed me to music that would become really important to me. It even built a connection between me and my mom, thanks to Leonard Cohen. And it introduced me to music I definitely wasn’t ready for yet -- like Diamanda Galás.
4
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
My brother told me about this movie-- the first and only time he ever said, “Go see this movie… it’s made for you.” And he was right. The first time I heard “The Origin of Love,” I felt cracked open. The whole soundtrack is glam, punk, cabaret, heartbreak, and survival. It’s Bowie by way of East Berlin.
5
Trainspotting (1996)
It’s punk, it’s a lil EDM, it’s melancholy, …( you notice a definite sad basatrd theme here? ) Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” brought him back to the forefront for kids who needed to know just how rad he is. And Lou Reed’s "Perfect Day" as he sank into the carpet, that shit still echoes to me today. This album is the sound of addiction, fucked hope, and absolute desperation. And for me, in that year, that was exactly where I was feeling. To have an album that seemed to identify with that? It made you feel less alone in it. As cheesy as it sounds -- it’s just true. To feel understood, especially when it comes to the darker corners of life, brought some much-needed light to them.
• Find Steven Fairweather on Instagram and his official site
