Ah, the lovely pictures of Damian Lewis at the piano and on the drums from TV Critics Association (TCA) 2015 Summer Tour… I really really wish someone had recorded and posted his singing online for us, the mortals… Alas, we just need to live with the pictures and imagine his sweet voice, quoting my partner JaniaJania, “with a hint of Cabernet” in our ears 😀
Well, Damian LOVES music! He plays the piano, he sings and he dances, too!
Damian sang in a chamber choir at a young age — days that he remembers fondly at the Music For Youth Schools Prom at Royal Albert Hall in 2013 where he presented awards to inspirational music teachers:
“It is a really big thrill to give this away to one of the inspirational teachers… When I was roughly your age, 11 or 12, I sang in a chamber choir and had an inspirational teacher, Mr Woodgate, who rearranged Beatles tunes. And so, as an 11 year old I was able to sing Eleanor Rigby and I Love Her and other Beatles tunes in four-part harmony, and it’s a memory I treasure to this day.”
And… After Beatles came Elvis 🙂 Damian tells Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs back in November: “Up until I was about the age of 18, I thought, I was Elvis, returned, and spent a lot of my time putting shaving foam, oddly, through my hair and relentlessly coiffing my quiff, and any opportunity getting into my skinny pair of black jeans and my winklepickers and my paisley shirt from Kensington market, and this is Elvis.” You can hear the entire podcast here and Elvis bit is at 04:34.
Even though it seems Damian has given up thinking that he is Elvis, returned… He still carries Elvis close to his heart. Well, let’s say our guy just cannot sit still when he sees a piano — it turns out he taught himself how to play — and often pulls an Elvis 🙂
Like he did on Jonathan Ross show a couple of years ago… This should come as close as it gets to his “impromptu rendition of “All Shook Up” in the lobby bar” at TCA 2015!
Damian sang on Homeland as well… Oh, no, not on the show, of course, but on the set and with wonderful Mandy Patinkin: Now, for those of you that do not know of other indredible talents Saul Berenson has next to spying… Mandy Patinkin is a tenor and a voice artist who is first and foremost known for his work in musical theater, in particular the works of Stephen Sondheim and he won a Tony Award for his role in the original Broadway production of Evita!
Anyhow, so, it turns out, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin sang together on Homeland set! When asked by Entertainment Weekly about the most challenging and thrilling moments on Homeland Set during the first season, here is what Damian says:
“…the most challenging of all was the lie detector scene and Mandy Patinkin was there and we tried to do an a capella version of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That was the most thrilling.”
Remember that scene?
“Have you ever been unfaithful to your wife?”
“No.”
Haha and then Damian and Mandy sing Bohemian Rhapsody and celebrate Sergeant Brody’s passing the polygraph test with flying colors? LOL LOL LOL
And when asked about who has the better singing voice:
“Oh my God. I can’t believe you’re even asking! Mandy. He sat me down yesterday. I started humming a tune from Into the Woods. And he was like, “Oh my God keep singing that! I’ll come in with my part!” Then he was coaching me. I was getting the notes wrong. He was trying to put me in touch with singing teachers. We’re not really shooting Homeland down here.”
These guys! 😀
And, of course, Damian’s Homeland singing did not stop at the duets with Patinkin, but he also formed a band called “Yummy Yummy Yummy” and sang for his favorite CIA agent at the Homeland First Season Wrap Party which we blogged about earlier here!
Now that Damian’s making Billions in NYC, I am dying to find out if he has already formed a band on set, maybe called “F… you money” and started singing 🙂 And… If it is so, what about ABBA’s “Money Money Money” for a wrap party, guys? Any other ideas for a playlist, fans?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RqmIJzzO3o
When it comes to music… it’s not just singing for Damian… Dancing is also a part of his life… his fun time… He tells Kirsty Young on Desert Island Discs: “Well, I respond to music that makes me want to dance. I love dancing. Helen and I dance a lot. And, we started out that way, just sort of dancing in my house in Camden.”
Well, Damian demonstrated some of his Gangnam style moves at the Golden Globes 2013 after-party, as he partied for his and Homeland‘s well-deserved Golden Globe Awards, along with Jackson Pace, his on-screen son…
But nothing can beat his PRICELESS Gangnam moves on Jonathan Ross 🙂
Damian’s Homeland co-star Claire Danes takes Damian’s musical career to the next level and says he has to do a musical! She tells Digital Spy: “I don’t think most people know what a song-and-dance man he is. I suspect Damian’s dream gig would be a Broadway musical, and he would be amazing. He actually took tap-dancing lessons throughout the filming of Homeland‘s second season.”
And, just seeing him at the Ascot Races recently made me think of one of my all-time favorite musicals, My Fair Lady! “Come on Dover! Move your bloomin’ arse!”
Wouldn’t Damian make a wonderful Professor Higgins? By George, I said it 🙂
So, Damian makes music when he’s happy… And he makes music when he has the blues, too… This last one was recorded in a hotel lobby in Rabat where they shot the last episodes of Homeland Season 3. It should be a few days before Damian’s last day on Homeland set. He clearly has the blues… for saying good-bye to Brody — remember his last day on Homeland set — and saying good-bye to his beloved Homeland family…
This is “A Mess of Blues” for you…
Damian is a complete artist,, he would be perfect in a musical!
Who knows!
Maybe one day we shall him, sing and dance on stage, I’m sure, that would be a huge success!
Monique
So true, Monique! Damian is such a great actor and I would die to see him on stage singing and dancing — fingers crossed!
This post is so fun, Damianista! I keep coming back to look at that pic of Helen and D dancing in the beginning days of their relationship. Love it!!
Just found some clips of DL getting his song and dance on in prior work: Jeffrey Archer (he…or his body double…break dance!) and Becks and Posh (very devilish number!). Danesy knows him well: he IS a song and dance man. Would KILL in a musical. At which, you and I would be front row center, of course.<3
Thank you!!!!! Haha I love their pic, too — they are sort of starting you know 😀 Oh, he IS a song and dance man, alright, and yes, a million times yes to front row center with you as DL is singing on stage for us <3
Fab blog as always. As for the playlist, how about ‘The winner takes it all’?
Thank you!!!! It’s become very popular, too; fans love music and they love Damian making music even more, I guess 😀 And, my dear Bookworm — you inspire me as always! Why don’t we plan on a Billions playlist for next year? Wouldn’t it be FAB?”The Winner Takes it all” could be the closing song for the season — but who is THAT? 🙂
On the surface as Bobby is led away in Handcuffs #Team Chuck, but we’ll let them think that, #TeamBobby has ‘The Ace of Spades”.
Oh it will be SO MUCH FUN and who laughs the last laughs the best, let’s just be patient 😀