Host of Preacher Vs Preacher
Musical diversity.
The show loves music and the proof lies everywhere. From the opening scene, where the AMC series uses the same Willie Nelson song as the comic book source material to kick things off, and past the season two premier where "Come On Eileen" becomes the centerpiece of a Car Chase Karaoke sing-a-long as they flee the law like some demented version of Bo, Luke and Daisy. Music is a vital part of this world, so much so that the fact that God really digs Jazz is a substantial plot point. One of the shows favorite things to do is to use music for good ol' comedic juxtaposition. Whereas most shows tag a melancholy ditty to the last ten minutes of an episode to wring out as much emotion as possible from a third act "Look At Us, We're Being, Like, Deep" montage - at least when Preacher does it, the ironic humor is so dark, and the music so morbidly downbeat, it just brings the melodrama to heights that you can't possibly take serious.
But not the fight scenes, the fights are very serious. But hey, That's Life.
All that said, I got to thinking about what other songs would work on this show, and the answer was just about any song! Sure, season one had a lot of country and southern twang, but it took plenty of turns and season two has been branching out a bit more. So, realizing that I could easily end up in a rabbit hole of chasing YouTube recommendations, I limited myself to just three but then immediately recruited the rest of the PVP team and a couple show friends.
Everyone gave three suggestions and I picked one from each to spotlight as the best fit or "most likely" to be used:
From Agent Palmer
Our buddy, frequent PVP guest (and occasional Remote-Assistant-Producer) Palmer couldn't pass up on The Toadies big hit Possum Kingdom. Maybe it's that "So help me, Jesus" refrain, maybe it's that pop legend that the song is about vampires, or maybe it's just that the sound kinda fits. His second choice, by Sponge - Plowed ("Say a prayer for me..."), has some relate-able lyrics ("In a world of human wreckage") but it's that classic Let's Get Crazy anthem Andrew W.K. known as Party Hard that just feels like a montage track for the trio in bar fight, or hell just some Cassidy brand shenanigans:
Sara is a consummate professional, so the fact that she hangs out with us on PVP must be her only flaw. We'll forgive her for it. She wisely points us to the band Cake, noting that their music sort of fits the show's mood and that the track Rock and Roll Lifestyle would likely work. "It's upbeat but asshole-ish at the same time." Her second selection reflects those comedic juxtapositions mentioned earlier, offering "Air Supply used hilariously and ironically over a lovelorn Cassidy montage. Picture him moping to All Out of Love." For me though, it's when Sara mentioned The Cramps' "All Women Are Bad" for a scene with Tulip misbehaving or just being badass, that I knew we'd found the perfect match:
From Bob
It's kind of a shock they haven't used Bob's first pick yet, Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield. It's got a certain pop familiarity for people and would feel quite aligned with this Tarantino-esque world. His second offering comes from thrash band Testament, a 400 mph track called The Preacher that needs to be heard if only for the high pitched screams. I'm going to give the spotlight to his selection of Megadeth's "The World Needs A Hero" because it's got a great, rolling, drum heavy trough line cut up by a nasty little guitar chugg. I just see that purple Chevelle tearing up the road:
Tyson from @Preacher_On_AMC
From perhaps the most active Preacher fan account on Twitter comes a track that feels like it should have already been used, "I put a spell on you". Tyson points out that this works best for actress @JulieannEmery, provided she gets to sing as Featherstone again. So, yes, the Nina Simone version it is then! On the screwball comedy side of things, "I touch Myself" By The Divinyls would probably work very well for Herr Starr. Tysons best match, and admittedly "super obvious", comes from Rick Springfield and is a track we can only assume the creators of the show are saving for a later date:
From Bill (That's MEEEEEE!)
Hiding All Away is a slow burn of a groove from Nick Cave And The Bad seeds that just turns epic as it explodes in the last minute or so. The chorus "There is a war comin'" just feels right. Eventually these characters are supposed to end up in my neck of the woods, NYC, so what better song to blast when they cross into the state line than AC/DC's "Safe In New York City"! But the one I think fits best is a cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" by The Morlocks. It's kind of a deep cut but it's smooth as mooshine on ice. Dig it, baby:
From Dom
Another PVP co-host, Dom imagines a blood-soaked adaption of that badass scene from the comic where the Saint of Killers rolls into Masada and murders just about everyone in that place all set to Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz. The more you listen and picture it, the more brilliant the idea becomes. His second pick is Wu Tang Clan's Bring Da Ruckus "Used in a chase and/or fight scene in NYC involving Jesse and Cassidy against like 25 guys, because hey, Cass probably spent some time in the 90s around the hip/hop scene and personally knows every member of the Wu Tang Clan"
The one I think should get the spotlight is Loose Change from Royal Blood. Dom suggests another fight scene,for this one, but Jesse and Tulip this time, and that after they win, maybe it turns into a steamy moment between the two of them in a public place.
Hey, if you dug this, you might dig Key Of Q: Songs Quentin Tarantino Hasn't Used Yet
