NME ELVIS SPECIAL EDITION US VERSION

Baz Luhrmann
Elvis director,
maker of epic films
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 I WISH
I’D WRITTEN
HARRY STYLES
‘Watermelon Sugar’
“I remember saying to
him: ‘“Watermelon Sugar”
is a classic. People are
going to be playing it
every summer.’ I don’t
know if Harry saw the
song like that, but it’s
hard to be objective when
it’s your own song.”
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 is
rediscovering her.”
The wisdom of
the NME archives
THIS WEEK
ELVIS PRESLEY
March 4, 1960
“I’ve always believed
that there’s room for
everyone in show
business – and if
other people can
make it, then good
luck to them”
PHOTOS: GETTY, TRENT MITCHELL
NME.COM