Aaron Johnson doesn’t listen to much new music, but he has heard of Lady Gaga. “I only know her because she’s all over the fucking place,” explains the raffish 20-year-old Brit. Stating the obvious, he adds, “But I don’t like her songs.” In fact, Johnson, who made an impression on American audiences as a clumsy masked avenger in the superhero satire Kick-Ass, isn’t all that fond of contemporary pop in general. “No one’s got anything great to sing about. It’s all about getting pussy in the club, drinking, being rich and famous. It’s all, I-wanna-bend-her-over-and-fuck-her-in-the-ass–type music. I find that music shit.”

Thank heavens, then, that his latest film, Nowhere Boy, is a biopic about a pre-Beatles John Lennon, not a young Marshall Mathers. Directed by celebrated British artist Sam Taylor-Wood (who fell in love with Johnson on set and recently gave birth to the couple’s daughter), the film charts Lennon’s teenage years and the formation of his friendship with Paul McCartney. For Johnson, it influenced how he listens to one of his favorite bands. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was my introduction to them,” he says of the Beatles, “but if I had to choose a favorite album it would be one of the earlier ones when they were just starting out, and still had that Buddy Holly feel. There’s something about an artist when they’re starting out, a raw energy you can’t quite put your finger on.” Here, along with 11 other legendary acts, he tries to do just that.

Elvis Presley. My only memory of my sister’s 9th birthday—I must have been about 4—was this Elvis song coming on, and all the boys and girls dancing with each other. Elvis sings, “I can’t help falling in love with you.” What’s it called? [Ed. note: It’s called “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”] When I hear that song, it reminds me of that party. There are a few songs that he sings that are absolutely beautiful beyond belief.

Velvet Underground. Lou Reed’s voice takes me to another world. It’s so dark, and Velvet Underground were so completely ahead of their time. They had a sound that no band nowadays can reproduce. Their songs were fucking meaningful. And the one about heroin! [Ed. note: It’s called “Heroin.”] Not that I’ve personally been through that, but the music puts you in a totally different dimension where you can almost feel this world of addiction.

The Doors. I was humming a Doors song today. I can’t even remember what it was, but it always gets me. Funnily enough, on the day my daughter was born, Sam and I went to the cinema to see the documentary When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors, and we’re pretty sure that’s what brought her labor on, because the music was pretty fucking cool.

The Who. I keep thinking about what a fantastic drummer Keith Moon was. It’s just insane, and I love that song, “My Generation,” when Roger Daltrey sings, “Why don’t you all f-f-f-f-f-f-fade away.” You know they’re bad boys, so you think they’re going to say “fuck,” but they said “fade.” I love that.

Roxy Music. I’ve got an old record player in my bedroom, and one of my favorite records to look at is the Roxy Music album, the one with the young woman laid out on the cover [Ed. note: It’s called Roxy Music]. I love “If There is Something.” It’s a seven-minute song, and it’s just beautiful. Bryan Ferry’s voice, when it trembles, is so poetic. When he sings, “I would put roses ’round our door/ sit in the garden/ growing potatoes by the score,” it’s so fucking powerful.

U2. Recently Sam and I were in the South of France, where we met up with Bono for lunch, and he very kindly offered to take us to Hanover in Germany to see U2 perform. They have their own jet and fly as a crew. It’s such a family vibe. We took our daughter, Wylda Rae, with us for her first rock concert, and Bono gave Wylda a few shout-outs and dedicated a couple songs to her—it was unbelievable. One of my favorite albums is The Joshua Tree. Every song on there is a fucking classic.

Rolling Stones. “Wild Horses” is one of my favorite songs. I’m pretty sure there’s an interview with John Lennon where he says something about the Stones being months behind them. [In a perfect Lennon accent] “Every album we’ve brought out, about a month later, the new Stones album will have taken our songs and tweaked them.” He was in typical cocky, arrogant mode. But I love the Stones. The raw attitude and edge they bring to their music is different than the Beatles.

Joy Division. I love “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” obviously. And I love the way Ian Curtis moves. It’s fantastic to watch. When Matt Greenhalgh, the writer of Nowhere Boy, wrote Control [the 2007 Joy Division biopic], he really made Joy Division more interesting in Britain, boosting their popularity up. DJs started playing them in clubs again.

The White Stripes. Have you ever heard them do that Dolly Parton song—what’s the fucking name of it? “Jolene!” That’s so fucking raw. It’s just insane, it literally puts shivers up my fucking spine. I love the White Stripes. And I love the one that goes, “I’m thinking about my doorbell/Thinking about my doorbell.” [Ed. note: It’s called “My Doorbell.”] It’s banging, that song.

Jay-Z. I think one of the best videos I’ve ever seen on MTV is “99 Problems.” I was younger when it came out, and whenever I saw it, I was like, this is a fucking tune! “I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one!” That was one of the first music videos I’d ever seen.

Mozart. When Sam was pregnant, I played a lot of Mozart, because they say it’s supposed to be good for the baby. There’s a part of your brain that everyone has, but no one uses, and Mozart used that part, which is what made him such a fucking genius. When you listen to him, it exercises that part of your brain.

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