Great British Bake Off’s Noel Fielding: 10 albums that changed my life

(Image credit: Future/Will Ireland)

You may know Noel Fielding as one half of surreal comedy duo The Mighty Boosh, Richmond the goth in The IT Crowd and, right now, one of the presenters on smash-hit cooking show The Great British Bake Off. But we know him as a bloke who loves Motörhead, Kiss and Hawkwind. Join us as he talks us through the soundtrack in his head.

The first album I ever bought was...

Motörhead – Bomber (1979)

“I was obsessed with the artwork. I heard that they had that big plane on stage and it fell down and nearly killed Philthy Animal Taylor. I think Lemmy was constantly trying to kill him! Ha ha! I’ve never met Lemmy. He’d probably tell me to fuck off. But I love Motörhead and Hawkwind.”


The best album artwork is…

Kiss – Destroyer (1976)

“I used to draw this all the time. I didn’t realise they were real people, so when my parents said they were coming to play a gig, it blew my mind. I thought they only existed as a comic book!”


The album to break the speed limit to is…

Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Horse Of The Dog (2002)

“I can’t drive, so maybe I’m running and I’m late for something – I’ll always put on this album. A cup of coffee and this, it’s better than cocaine! I love how short and fast it is. It’s intense.”


The album I wish I’d made is…

Primus – Primus & The Chocolate Factory (2014)

“I saw them doing it live and it worked so well. They’re already a complete headfuck of a band. It shows what a genius Roald Dahl was. It’s so bleak and weird. The film’s really amazing, and then Primus on top of that… it’s like a crazy wet dream. They had Oompa Loompas onstage and everything, plus they played the film but distorted and warped it. It was mindblowing.”


The album I’d want played at my funeral is…

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band –  Next (1973)

“I’d like to play something really weird to freak people out, so Faith Healer would be perfect. You’d have to show the video so you could see the clown playing the guitar, which is bizarre. It seemed weird when I was a kid, but that’s the sort of thing I do for a living now, ha ha ha!”


A kid asks me what metal is, I hand them a copy of…

Motörhead – Ace Of Spades (1980)

“It has to be Ace Of Spades. Just hand them a copy of that and say, ‘There you go, see you later!’ Ha ha! Or I could go left-field and go for Raw Power by The Stooges. It’s so metal. James Williamson’s guitar playing is pretty metal.”


The album that should not be is…

Coldplay – X & Y (2005)

“Any Coldplay album! I was constantly digging at them on Never Mind The Buzzcocks, then I was in New York doing an Amnesty International gig and my dressing room was next door to theirs. All the roadies were giving me the evil eye! Ha ha! I get a lot of energy out of music. I want to get pumped up. I love bands that are visual too, so Coldplay fail on all counts. You never see Chris Martin and think ‘Ooh, I must get that jumper!’”


No one would believe I own a copy of…

ABBA – Arrival (1976)

“I’ve got a few Abba records. People say, ‘Why have you got that?’ I just like a nice cry when I’m on my own sometimes. They make me cry and then they make me feel better.”


The album that broke my heart is…

Love – Da Capo (1966)

“There are albums I can’t listen to because they remind me of breaking up with someone. I can’t listen to this one anymore. It hurts too much. You have to reclaim these things for yourself somehow, but it’s tricky. It reminds me of a time that I still find hard. I love it so it’s annoying!”


The first album I had sex to is…

Milli Vanilli – All Or Nothing (1988)

“I’d love to say it was something really cool, like Iron Maiden or The Stooges’ first album, but it was probably Milli Vanilli! There were six months where me and my mates listened to Milli Vanilli. I don’t know how that happened! My parents love metal, so they’ll disown me… they’ll say, ‘Why didn’t you say Megadeth, for fuck’s sake?!’ Ha ha ha!”

Dom Lawson
Writer

Dom Lawson has been writing for Metal Hammer and Prog for over 14 years and is extremely fond of heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee and snooker. He also contributes to The Guardian, Classic Rock, Bravewords and Blabbermouth and has previously written for Kerrang! magazine in the mid-2000s.