We know Rutina Wesley as Tara Thornton on our favorite HBO show ‘True Blood’. She was kind enough to take the time to call SPIN to talk about her favorite music of her life. So what did she listen to today?
“Well I was driving and listening to Hot 92.3 in Los Angeles and I remember singing along to a great song: “Forget Me Nots” by Patrice Rushen.”
When she is driving in her car does she normally listen to the radio when she is driving?
“I usually listen to my iPod; I keep some playlists on there. Like let’s see, I have this one here called “5K.” I run 5K each week and I usually listen to this. I’ve got Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” and some Rihanna and Bob Marley and then R. Kelly’s ‘Ignition” you know, before he got a little weird. Then we get to Lil Wayne, he’s my favorite rapper. Him and Eminem.”
So who was the last concert that she saw?
“That would be Jay-Z and Kanye for the Watch The Throne tour in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. It was amazing. They played “Niggas In Paris” like 10 times. I didn’t even get tired of it – I love that song so much. After each one, Kanye would shout “one more” and everyone would go wild.”
When she was growing up was there anything her parents have any objections to?
“Not really, my uncles were DJs while I was growing up in Las Vegas so I’d just listen to whatever they would have on. it would be a lot of Motown, R&B, old school hip-hop, the oldies but the goodies. I grew up with a wide range of music. When I got into high school my favorite artist was definitely Janet Jackson.”
So what is her favorite Janet song?
“I’ve always really liked “Again” because I remember seeing her in concert around that time in the ‘90s and she brought some guy up on stage and danced all over him, just going crazy. She actually started crying she was so into it! I was still pretty young so I didn’t really know what was happening, just like ‘Whoa, what’s going on here!’.”
Who else on ‘True Blood’ has the same music taste as you?
“He’s not on the show anymore but I would say Jim Parrack who played Hoyt. That man can quote Jay-Z songs forwards and backwards. We used to sing the Jay and Beyoncé song “Hollywood.” We’d do it on set; we’d do it anywhere whenever we heard it. I also bond over music with Janina Gavankar who plays Luna on the show. We just went and saw ?uestlove DJ and I found out he’s a fan of mine and the show!”
What music has helped you over a break up or a tough time?
“My go-to is Björk. Her music isn’t necessarily dark but it’s definitely moody. I remember sitting in the bathtub and having Vespertine playing on repeat for hours. I don’t even know what she’s saying half the time, but it doesn’t matter. I just make up my own lyrics. I just sit there and I brood and I think. That always puts me in a better mood.”
You can read the full interview here.
Source: Spin.com – “‘True Blood’ Co-Star Rutina Wesley Brooks with Bjork, Does a Mean Otis Redding”
Imaged Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
