How The Beatles' 'White Album' changed David Duchovny's life

How The Beatles' 'White Album' changed David Duchovny's life

Jamie Kahn
@notmyyaztattoo
Fri 17th Jun 2022 11.00 BST

David Duchovny, the American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter, quite frankly, does it all. However, most people know him best from X-Files and Californication. Additionally, though, he also has put out three studio albums, the last of which came out just last year. Duchovny has also been steadily making music since 2015, a moment in which he released his debut album, Hell or Highwater.

Even for those who don’t have a career focus on music, there are plenty of reasons why music might have an influential hold on a person, both in terms of inspiration and pure nostalgia. Sometimes, it’s even a combination of those things, and Duchovny has definitely tapped into that, and with a great musical selection.

One of David Duchovny’s favourite albums, an LP that changed his life in fact, is The Beatles’ White Album. When he was asked about the record, he said: “It’s a thing that points to certain mysteries that I wasn’t quite yet ready to understand. There are throwaways on it; it wasn’t all hits. That kind of got me off the ‘just the hits’ feeling that I had when I was a kid.”

Detailing further, Duchovny continues: “At the time I thought, ‘Why get a whole album? Just play the hits!’ But a few albums changed my life.”

Later in the conversation, Duchovny goes on to explain that a number of other albums changed his life alongside the iconic Beatles record: “Here was also Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, which seemed to have a big scope. It seemed like a lot was being dealt with. And ‘Fresh’ by Sly & The Family Stone. And some Yes albums; I was into Yes. There was a lot of pot smoking going on at a certain point. Yes were good for that.”

However, plenty would find it safe to say that The Beatles are the most iconic on the list. The White Album is close to the heart of so many people, both artists and laypeople alike. However, even as an artist specifically, Duchovny has said they were the cause of some of his main inspiration. “They were my favourite band for forever. But when I started to play guitar and think about songs together, it was Bob Dylan and The Band. More straight-ahead, rootsy rock ’n’ roll.”

It’s clear that amid his taste, the classics continuously prevail, which is something that we can all definitely appreciate about his selections.




Far Out Magazine