With his flair for the theatrical and the kind of over-the-top personality you’d expect from a rock & roll lead singer, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness is as passionate and enthusiastic talking about his favorite singers as he is performing on stage. To that end, he wasn’t shy about sharing who his faves are (of this moment).
1. Freddie Mercury
“I love Freddie Mercury because of his sophistication and as a lyricist, I think he’s amazing. There is a vaudevillian influence that nobody else has tried to put into the rock sphere before or since. I think he’s completely unique in the timbre and approach. I was brought up on Queen and as far as I’m concerned, that’s a good upbringing.”
2. Steven Tyler
“During the ‘80s when I was watching MTV, “Walk This Way” had a massive impact on my life. Run-DMC’s Raising Hell was the first album I ever bought and it was my introduction to rock and rap. I just became really fascinated with Aerosmith. I’ve loved everything they’ve done since they got back together at that moment. I had the privilege of meeting Steven Tyler 12 years ago and it was awesome. He gave me his number and I’ll never forget that experience.”
3. Bon Scott
“I love his voice, lyrics, delivery and simple working man’s look. I think he’s great. Everything about him. I love AC/DC top to bottom but I particularly love the Bon Scott years. There was also a lot of silliness and sincerity in equal measure in his lyrics.”
4. Robert Plant
“I think he’s got one of the great blues voices and is really underrated I think. I heard a rumor that he longs to be taken seriously, which is why he does these Alison Krauss-like projects. But I think he might be misperceiving how people are judging him. There is a huge throng of people who consider him the greatest of all time. In my opinion, he’s one of the greatest blues singers there ever was. I’ve listened to a lot of blues and he was my gateway into that world.”
5. Bryan Adams
“I feel like he and I have a lot of the same influences, oddly enough. And I’m talking the early Bryan Adams. I think he’s a great songwriter and a brilliant singer. He’s always had that white T-shirt and blue jeans [look]. He’s always kept it simple. Doing an honest day’s work at the garage and rocking out in the evening. I think he’s a brilliant guitar player and I really love a lot of his work. He’s a great songwriter. And I met him once actually and it didn’t color my opinion of him at all because he was truly a really gracious co-eater at a dinner event I went to. I thought he was a lovely man and a super-talented person that I felt very privileged to have met him. An album that’s really great to work out to is Reckless. I particularly like the MTV Unplugged sessions. The Nirvana one is good but I really like the Bryan Adams one. There are some really simple songs that have super elaborate arrangements. It’s just a great thing to listen to.”
