You might recognise Michael Fox from a lot of places - best known for his roles in Downton Abbey, and seems to be the face that launched a thousand period dramas, starring in Dunkirk and The World Will Tremble. Now, after treading the boards in everything from stage to screen, the actor is turning his hand to music once again with the release of his latest EP, Bones.
With haunting melodies, beautiful lyrics, and an effortlessness rarely seen in modern music, Bones has definitely been playing on repeat in the office, perfect as the weather has turned towards misty, autumnal days. Michael Fox joined us in our favourite cosy pub corner down at The Lucky Saint in Marylebone to chat about his new music, reminisce on wrapping up Downton, and spill the beans on what it was like to work with the legendary Maggie Smith.
Even though he’s best known for playing more quiet, reserved characters onscreen, off-screen, he’s just as funny, down-to-earth, and interesting as you’d hope anyone on the neighbouring bar stool would be. Here are 7 things you probably didn’t know about him.
1. If he had to do a tribute act, it’s The Beach Boys all the way
There have been some great tribute acts that have graced the social clubs and 50th birthday parties across the UK - Led Zeppagain, The Rolling Stoned, Amy Housewine, and so many musical icons you could pay tribute to. For Michael, it’s an easy decision to make, “Beach Boys - I reckon Allan [Leech] would be part of the band - he could do the high parts.”
A favourite track is hard to nail down, but Michael thinks he knows his number one: “God Only Knows, I think it would have to be. But anything from the Pet Sounds album is glorious. What I love is that you can hear their influence in so many other songs.
2. When it comes to comfort films, it’s always Robin Williams
Even actors need a good bit of comfort TV, and Michael has a few go-tos, that all have something in common... Robin Williams.
"I love Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society - even Hook. There’s something really beautiful about that type of film. I don’t think they make them like that any more. Anything with him is extraordinary. And you also know that everyone’s laughing in between each take with him in.”
Unfortunately, he's not a Traitors watcher (yet... We're not sure anyone has got through an interview with us and not been persuaded to give it a go), but he does have a soft spot for another BBC big hitter; "Gavin & Stacey is also a bit of a comfort show - especially the Christmas episodes, they're great." No arguments here.
If he were doing his own crossover, though, picking through the hundreds of actors and musicians that have been huge sources of inspiration, it's another big name from a slightly different world that Fox would pick. Monty Don. "I love Monty Don," Fox laughed, reminiscing on some of his favourite TV. "Just me and Monty Don in a garden, that would be fun."
3. He’s from a very creative family
You can tell within a few minutes of meeting Fox that creativity is second nature - we could almost tell immediately from the fantastic sweater vest he's donning. But it turns out this isn't just limited to him, it's a family trait. Back in his teenage years, he was in a band with one of his two brothers, who performed as the drummer, and the other brother also went into the arts - although he opted to work behind the camera.
"Me and my brother used to do radio show," Fox confessed. "Like, we would do the full "Welcome to Wycombe FM" and introduce our band's track, pretending it was being played. Being a music presenter must be so fun - I’d love to do that."
4. He's a Glastonbury’s lover but End of the Road Festival is the UK’s best kept secret
When interviewing musicians, you can't help but try and get some secret info out of them - the hottest releases, the best gig venues, who uses autotune and who doesn't. And inevitably, when talking about the UK music scene, you'll end up discussing Glastonbury. It's the law.
"Go to End of the Road," Fox advises. "You can see amazing bands, I've seen Alt. J, Alabama Shakes, Bon Iver, all right next to the stage - you don't get that at Glastonbury. One of them was a secret gig in the forest, and it was fifty people cross-legged on the floor, listening to these incredible bands - you don't have that at Glastonbury."
In all fairness, fifty people sitting cross-legged on the forest floor sounds like it could be a sit-in for Greenpeace more than a festival, but we guess that's part of the charm of the End of the Road festival.
5. The cast all got musical on the set of Downton Abbey
If your algorithm is anything like ours, you'll have seen the videos of Michael Fox and Michelle Dockery duetting together, stripped back vocals with just a piano accompaniment from Fox. You might have seen it and shrugged it off as a staged bit of social, but it was the complete opposite. Thanks to a seriously talented cast, the crew got musical a lot in between takes.
“There was a piano downstairs in Downton, we used to jam during the day when we were filming at Highclere because we’d have loads of free time. Jim Carter, who plays Carson, does a lot of work with the Kilburn theatre in Kilburn, and they did a charity night, and Michelle and I did that together and got signed from that. So it was really lovely and lucky."
6. He has a guitar collection serious enough to make any musicophile jealous
You'd sort of expect a musician to have some pretty cool instruments lying around, ready for whenever inspiration strikes - and Fox is no exception.
"I have 13 guitars," Fox grinned. "I used to go to Denmark St and go and play guitars after auditions - especially if one had gone badly.
"It’s a really bad habit because not only have you not got the job, so you shouldn’t be buying something, but you’re then collecting lots of expensive things."
Does this mean, we pointed out, that if there was a guitar he really wanted, he would deliberately sabotage an audition? "Maybe," he laughed. Perhaps this is a modern, revamped version of Pavlov's dogs - just with more strings and fewer tails.
"There’s a guitar I went and bought," Fox shared. "Nick Drake had this guitar on one of his album covers, and I went in and went, “I want this one” and it turns out it wasn’t even Nick Drake’s, it was his photographer’s.” Sounds like he needed a guitar to cheer himself up from that revelation.
7. He's a London local, and definitely knows his favourite pub
The Cow in Royal Oak is - in his opinion - the best pub in London.
“When I first got Downton, I was living in Warwick Avenue (which sounds a lot fancier than my grotty flat was) and I’d been working behind the bar at The Cow for a couple of years. And it came out, and people would come in, spot me and just go, “Why are you pulling pints?" Fox reminisced.
“It’s really small, and little tables, with really good lock-ins and the best Guinness," he added. Consider us sold.
Michael Fox's new EP Bones is out on Friday 21st November. You can catch his live shows, Michael Fox & Friends on 15th December in The Old Church, Stoke Newington, and 16th December in St Michaels and All Angels Church in Bassett, Southampton.
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