As part of promotion for next weekend's debut of The Cripple of Inishmaan in the West End, Daniel Radcliffe spoke hosted an hour of music on BBC Radio 1 last month, picking some of his favourite songs and discussing his life and projects. Various topics, including of course Harry Potter, his future movies, and his London play, came up during the session. The audio can be heard here; the full transcript, provided by SnitchSeeker, can be read below.

Dan also spoke to the Financial Times and Irish Times about his upcoming stage production.

Hello, I am Daniel Radcliffe and for the next hour I am taking over Radio 1 with My Playlist. My playlist tonight is about nothing in particular. I haven’t themed this at all, so it’s basically just a mix of things I’m listening to at the moment, things I’ve been into for awhile and just some stuff that I think maybe doesn’t get played enough on the radio so I’m trying to do a public service of kinds here as well. I’m going to be playing tracks by She & Him, Spector and Tame Impala. And I’ll also be answering some questions you lot have left for me, telling you what I’m doing with myself now that I’ve finished playing Harry, and looking after Radio 1 until 10pm.

So let’s start my playlist with Hot Chip Ready for the Floor.

That was Hot Chip on Radio 1. I’m Daniel Radcliffe and this is My Playlist.

So, hello everybody listening to Radio 1. I am Daniel Radcliffe, once again. I feel like I’ll be saying that to you a lot over the next hour. Music has always played a massive part in my life. My mum and dad are very into music, particularly my dad. He had a life-size poster of Mick Jagger in his bedroom when he was growing up and was a huge tux fan of Bowie and things like that. So he got me into all of that. And when I started working on Potter, the chap who would drive me to work every day, Peter Harvey, who became a friend for 10 years, he was massively into Beatles and Pink Floyd, so then all of that started coming in. My friend Will was the guy who introduced me to punk music at about that age, which explains the presence of a couple of things you’ll hear later on this. But yeah, I’ve always been pretty obsessive. So my tendency is to, as soon as I like a band, try and learn as much as I possibly can about them. I am that kind of fan.

This is a band that I just came across. Actually I saw them performing this song on Jools Holland, and it was one of those live performances that just had such energy. I’d never heard the song – or heard of them – I was just immediately became excited about them. And of course I missed who they were and I’d changed the channel so I couldn’t rewind and find out, so I had to try and remember the lyrics to the song and type them into Google . Eventually I found this song, which is kind of a modern protest song, I suppose. It’s called 911 and it’s by Delta Spirit.

That was Delta Spirit with 911. I’m Daniel Radcliffe and this is still My Playlist.

So the back history of me is that I was pretty rubbish at school when I was going to school. When I was 8 or 9 I wasn’t really enjoying it. It was suggested to my mum and dad that maybe to give me some other experience that I should audition for the BBC’s production of David Copperfield, which I did. Nobody expected me to get it, having displayed no desire to act or do any acting in the past, beyond one tiny thing in a school play. I got it, much to everyone’s amazement. And I love it. I really enjoyed being on set. I enjoyed the fact that it meant I wasn’t in school. I was having a great time and it was giving me a sense of confidence. I think the thing that then went on to happen on Potter was I really started to find my confidence. In a sense of, people think of film sets as being very cold, clinical kind of places and possibly not good places for kids to grow up. But actually, particularly because it was the same crew for 10 years, there was an incredible sense of community that grew up around the Potter set, as well. I just loved it there. I got very lucky in that I loved it. So yeah, it’s pretty hard to condense those 10 years into anything more concise than that, I suppose. But suffice to say I had a very good time and feel like I’ve just had the most amazing start to my career. Since that, doing Equus – well, obviously that went on during – but the musical on Broadway and the films I’ve got to do last year, it’s just been very exciting. I’m thrilled to be able to work with as many interesting and diverse, different projects on stage and film. As I’ve said probably about five times in the last two minutes, I’m incredibly lucky. But I also love my job and I work hard at it. There’s nothing I’d rather do. And music has always been a huge part of my preparation. I think possibly it might be a sign of lack of training more than anything else, but I definitely always found that music is part of my technique. I find it can absolutely transport you into a different place and a different mindset. It’s a very immediate thing. I’ve always found it very, very useful. I know I’m not the only actor that does that. It’s definitely helpful. I remember I listened, on the set of the Potter film, there was a scene where I was coming out of the pensieve at the end and learned the truth about the story – I won’t spoil it for people that haven’t seen it – but I remember I was listening to a Sufian Stevens song You Are The Blood and it just for some reason absolutely put me in the right mode for that scene. I think it’s probably some of my best work I did in the film. So thank you, Mr. Stevens. I always make a playlist for a character, whatever character I’m playing. So my iPod’s full of very … in Horns, particularly, that film has a very angry mainly metal-based playlist.

The next track is by a wonderfully-named band called Dog is Dead and the song is called Glockenspiel Song. I like it. I maintain it’s very hard to write an unsentimental, but very upbeat, happy song. And this is definitely one of those. So enjoy.

That was Dog is Dead. This is Radio 1. I’m Daniel Radcliffe and this is My Playlist.

So I hope everybody is ready for some shameless self promotion. I am about to open in a new play on June the 8th in the Noel Coward Theatre. It’s a play called – it’s not a ‘new’ play, it’s new to me – it’s called [i]The Cripple of Inishmaan[i]. It’s by Martin McDonagh, who many of you will know from his work in In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. For those of you seeing that, obviously very, very dark comedy. A huge amount of the comedy in it is derived from people being incredibly cruel to my character. It’s a wonderfully funny play. I feel like I’m tricking you all because it is also very, very sad at times, but you will spend a lot of time laughing – hopefully, if we all do our jobs right. So we’re in rehearsals for that at the moment. The Irish accent is coming along. I’m pretty confident with it now, to be honest. None of us are going to be doing the exact Aran Islands accent. We have been assured that we will not be understood by a London audiences if we do that. So we’re all having to pull back slightly from the extreme. I mean, getting the accent, I started working on it a long time prior to rehearsals because otherwise you don’t really stand a chance of learning any of that dialogue. I was in the very fortunate position of Michael Grandage, the director of the play, basically came to me with a couple of other plays as well as Cripple of Inishmaan and said, “Look at these. We’re doing a season next year. We’d like you to be involved,” which obviously I would have cut my left arm off to be involved. He said, “Pick a play,” which is a ridiculous position for an actor to be in. But it was wonderful. As soon as I read [i]Cripple of Inishmaan[i] I just loved it. And then obviously I had to meet Martin to make sure Martin was happy with me to do it and everything. But then we had a really good meeting and it’s just gone from there really. The hope is always that – because obviously there is an awareness of me because of Potter and I have a bit of a fan base from that – and that’s wonderful because that means I can … and I suppose I’m known for making offbeat choices, as well. That’s something that’s great because it means I can do Equus and a load of people will come see [i]Equus] that might not otherwise come and see it. Hopefully the same will be said of Cripple. I was taken to the theatre a lot as a kid and I still like going. I know theatre isn’t something that everybody likes. I think some people think of it as being a chore. I think it’s no coincidence that for a lot of people the first time they go to the theatre is with school. It’s made to feel like a school thing that you’re somehow obliged to do. But I think if people start going regularly rather than just having the odd, one bad experience in something they didn’t like once, they’ll discover that there is so much out there that’s … I love film. I grew up on film. Film is my home in so many ways. But I am the first person to admit that great theatre is always more thrilling than great film because you’re there with the people. There’s some sort of very natural – just being there in the room with them it means you really physically feel what they feel. So if it’s a good production … I’ll also admit that very few things are worse than bad theatre because then there’s nowhere to run.

So you’re listening to My Playlist. I think it’s probably time for another song now. I picked a Pixie’s song – I could’ve picked a load of different ones. I’m sorry if you don’t like this one, but I just feel like it doesn’t get played enough particularly. It’s a short shop shock and I love it. This is Allison by Pixies.

That was Allison by Pixies.

This is My Playlist. I’m Daniel Radcliffe – almost called them ‘The’ Pixies then, which as we all know would’ve been a horrendous embarrassment. It is like somebody calling me ‘Haffy Potter ’. It’s actually like somebody calling me ‘Harry Potter’. It does seem to be the first sign of aging when you start to say things like ‘The Radiohead’. My dad won’t thank me for this, but he always manages to also remove the ‘the’ from bands that need it like he calls them ‘Strokes’ and ‘Libertines’. Plenty of you have been sending in questions and I will now do my best to be interesting and answer them.

From Karima: Daniel, if you were trapped on a desert island with the cast of Harry Potter, who would you eat first?
That is an interesting question. I think I might go with Michael Gambon. Only for the reason that we’ve been getting on each other’s nerves for years and winding each other up. So I think probably it’d just get to the point where he’d make one joke too many and I’d turn around and say, “Right, Gambon. I’m gonna eat you.” So I’ll go with Gambon on that, and I hope he hears this.

From Chris Moon: If you were ever going to end up in jail, what would it be for?
If I were to end up in jail for something, I would imagine it would be pick pocketing. Something like that because I’m small. My skill set lends itself to that. I watched Oliver so many times as a kid that there’s a certain glamour that goes to it so I could easily be led down that road by a Fagan.

From Ruth on Facebook: When you read the Harry Potter books, do you imagine yourself as Harry?
Well, Ruth, I tend not to read them as much anymore. But I think torwards the end when we were in that period between when we were still filming them but there were a few books left to come out, I think when those books came out I definitely read them and imagined, “Oh I’ll be having to do that in a couple of years” or something. Yeah, so there was definitely an element of that.

All right, enough of those questions for now. We will get some more of them later. This is a song which has one of the coolest lyrics I’ve heard in a long time which is, “He pulled the mirrors off his Cadillac ‘cause he doesn’t like it looking like he looks back.” I think that’s just an awesome line. It’s Tame Impala with Elephant.

That was Tame Impala with Elephant. Very rarely you get to mention two animals in a song outro.

Hello, I’m Daniel Radcliffe. I’m still here for My Playlist and here are more of your questions now.

From Charlotte Spencer: Broadway or West End?
Oh Charlotte. You’re a stirrer, aren’t you, Charlotte? I honestly could not possibly choose. Mainly because I want to work on both again. They are very different atmospheres. In the West End we do have a certain amount of English reserve, whereas on Broadway the audiences are generally very , very vocal. There’s one thing that happens in New York which still freaks me out. You get a round of applause for just walking onstage, which is still bizarre to me and sets me off slightly every time I have it. It’s just weird to me. But, you know, mustn’t complain.

Helen on Twitter wants to know: What is your mobile phone background picture?
That’s a good question. My mobile phone background picture is of a – it’s going to sound really boring, but – it’s of three … I was filming in Vancouver up near a logging facility and there were these three huge tree trunks all piled up on top of each other. And then one of the guys who obviously worked there had just graffitied on the side of one of them, “I am going to be a house.” So that’s the picture I have on my phone ‘cause that made me laugh one day.

From Ian on Facebook: What is the best present you’ve ever given someone?
The best present I ever gave someone actually I may have given to somebody last night, because I saw my friend Amy last night and she is a diehard David Attenborough fan. I had met him at an interview ages ago and got his autograph for her – and have been forgetting to give it to her for upwards of like 18 months or something – and last night finally gave it to her. So I think that could probably be … that was probably one of the best reactions I’ve got, definitely.

All right, thank you for all of those. That was very, very kind of you. Some excellent questions, and genuinely questions I have not been asked before. The next track is by She & Him and is called Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? Check out the video. It’s very cool.

I’m Daniel Radcliffe. This is Radio 1 and that was Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? by She & Him. I am a huge fan of M. Ward, and how could anyone not be a fan of Zooey Deschanel? So that’s why I picked that one. The next band I picked for a reason of much heavier personal bias. I was in one of their videos. I am grateful to call them friends. They’re very, very cool people and one of my favorite bands. To be honest, I think one of the most underplayed bands in the country. So I’m trying to rectify that. They are Slow Club and this is their great song Two Cousins.

Hello, I’m Daniel Radcliffe. This is Radio 1. That was Slow Club with Two Cousins.

All right. I’ve been charged with telling a story, but I can’t think of any stories so I’m going to tell a very, very short joke, which I think is very funny. Why can you never trust atoms? They make up everything. If you didn’t laugh at that, we can’t be friends.

Somebody awhile ago sent me this song, or told me to check it out. This song Chevy Thunderby a band called Spector, who I’d never heard of. And I’ve been listening to it for ages and really enjoying it and then when I knew I was going to be coming on the show and doing my playlist I thought I’d look up the band just to check they hadn’t perpetrated any war crimes or anything that I shouldn’t be associating myself with. Then I found out that the lead singer is Freddie MacPherson who was a couple years above me in my school. I had a bit of a rough time at school and he was one of the few people that actually gave me the time of day and was really, really a very cool guy. So I’m very pleased to be able to plug him. As I said, that school was not the best time for me, like going to Potter and coming back and generally being a teenager. It was a bit rough and he was always so kind to me . Such a fun guy, and always, obviously, had great taste in music. His band, or a version of his band, Les Incompetents – I was never sure if that was supposed to be pronounced with a French accent or not – played at a school battle of the bands. I’m not sure if I even saw them perform at it. It was probably boring enough to go home before it started or something. He was a very, very cool guy always to me, and a great song.

This is the aforementioned Spector with Chevy Thunder. If you’re driving a car, I would encourage you to go fast but not faster than the speed limit.

This is Daniel Radcliffe on Radio 1, and that was Spector with Chevy Thunder.

Hello everyone, I’m Daniel Radcliffe. I hope you’re enjoying my playlist and my music isn’t too offensive so far. Next week we have AlunaGeorge here, so this is your chance to get your questions in for them. You can text now 81199 or tweet @BBCR1.

Okay, so we now have some either or’s for me. So we’re going to try and crack through these as well.

Get your work done in advance or leave it ‘til the last minute?
Oh, get my work done in advance. Absolutely. I think it used to be the other way around when I was in school, but now that I have a job I’m definitely in advance.

Under water or up in the air?
Up in the air, definitely. I like flying.

Bangers or mash?
Bangers.

Taxi or drive?
Taxi. I don’t have a license.

Laptop or desktop??
Laptop.

Cupcake or cookie?
Cookie.

Pulp or no pulp?
Pulp.

Whales or dolphins?
Dolphins.

The Queen or Prince Charles?
The Queen.

Sweet or salted?
Salted.

Real book or ebook?
Real book.

What was your nickname at school?
Didn’t have one. Didn’t do anything interesting enough.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home?
The first thing I do when I get home may sound pretty dull but I’m that kind of guy. I catch up on Pointless. I’m a big Pointless fan. There’s a lot of that to watch.

Hello, I am still here doing My Playlist. This next track is called Never Have Nobody Like You. It’s by M. Ward. He is absolutely one of my favorite artists. I don’t think he’s, in my opinion, made a bad album. Everything he does is interesting and different and generally very, very catchy. I think he’s one of the masters of writing unsentimental but very romantic love songs, of which this is a shining example.

I’m Daniel Radcliffe. This is Radio 1. That was the fantastic M. Ward with Never Have Nobody Like You.

Well, there’s a debate going on in here as to whether this next band are The Wedding Present or Wedding Presents. I’m sure somebody will be able to tell us. This song is just a great song about an argument, and to make something so mundane into something so poppy and fun is brilliant. It’s Wedding Present with Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?

So now we move on to what I consider the public service portion of the A playlist. This song is definitely the only song on this playlist whose lyrics also appear on the national curriculum. I got into John Cooper Clarke when I was about 13. I was given a copy of a punk compilation CD and it had one of his tracks on it. I immediately loved him and found him very, very funny and exciting. As I’ve grown older, I go back to him more and more and he just seems cleverer and cleverer. This is, I think, the greatest, most concise Indy love song ever written. I think he was on Have I Got News For You the other week and he referred to it as being something like the first dance song of humanist weddings. So yeah, enjoy. This is I Want To Be Yours.

That was the legendary John Cooper Clarke with I Want To Be Yours.

I meant The Hold Steady backstage at an interview. Normally when you meet bands backstage they are very, very disappointing and often very dour and don’t really want to chat to people – especially enthusiastic young fans like I was at this point. But I met The Hold Steady and they were the coolest bunch of guys I’d ever got the chance to actually hang around with. They were really, really nice and, again, like M. Ward, they’re a band I just keep coming back to again and again and again. I think this was probably one of their … it’s by no means my favorite song, but it’s one of my favorites. It’s Chips Ahoy. See if you can follow the story.

That was Chips Ahoy by The Hold Steady. This is Radio 1 and I am, once again, Daniel Radcliffe.

Well, this is pretty much it for me now. Thank you so much for listening. I hope I haven’t been too dull. I’ve never been entrusted with a radio program for an hour before, so this has all been very new. But I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you’ve enjoyed the music. It’s been a pleasure. So thank you very much.

Phil and Alice are up next, but for now I’m going to leave you with a song that I believe should be played every day in schools. It’s Can I Kick It? by A Tribe Called Quest.

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