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Soundtrack Of My Life: Baz Luhrmann
'Elvis' director, maker of epic films
By NME
In partnership with Warner Bros.
The song that changed my life
David Bowie – 'Changes'
"From the moment I first heard this song, I was a huge Bowie fan. I eventually worked with him [on the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack] and then towards the end of his life, he became a very good friend. He used to come round and we'd walk the dogs. We were talking about going to Berlin at one point to do something together. I must have been so stupid, why didn't I just say yes?"
The song I can no longer listen to
Prince – 'Sign O' The Times'
"It's a great song, but when I was younger I used it in a show that was an absolute catastrophe. Every time I hear it now, it takes me back to that."
The song that reminds me of home
John Farnham – 'You're the Voice'
"I still go clubbing because I intend to grow old disgracefully: it's kind of my motto. I was in a nightclub recently and all the kids were singing along to this."
The first gig I went to
The Police – Sydney, 1980
"I thought: 'Wow, this is what it means to see a live show!' It was just fantastic. Some years later I saw Sting at his birthday party and I told him it was the first show I'd ever been to."
The song I can't get out of my head
Doja Cat – 'Vegas'
"She made this song for the Elvis soundtrack and it's already blowing up. I've worked with Madonna and Beyoncé and I see something similar in Doja Cat: she's just a really, really hard worker. And when you see her on stage, my god she's a good dancer."
The song that makes me want to dance
Madonna – 'Like A Virgin'
"I think of Madonna like Marlene Dietrich: like Marlene, nothing will stop her from being a provocative artist. I think the younger generation are rediscovering her."
Take a look at NME's special film edition Elvis digital magazine right here. Don't miss Baz Luhrmann's Elvis starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, in cinemas June 24. Book tickets now.
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