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"Barbie" European Premiere - Arrivals© GettyImages

Meet Ryan Gosling’s spooky band ‘Dead Man’s Bones’

Before Gosling had a Billboard hit with “I’m Just Ken,” he made rock music with a friend.


Maria Loreto
Senior Writer
AUGUST 25, 2023 4:01 PM EDT

Despite being an actor, Ryan Gosling is very musical. Viewers got to witness his talent for singing and dancing on “Barbie,” where he performed a musical number that landed him on the Billboard 100. But he’s been involved in musical shows since he was a child, with there being many adorable videos online featuring his moves in the “Mickey Mouse Club” and other kids shows. Then there’s also his rock band, Dead Man’s Bones.

My Body's a Zombie For You

Gosling first formed the band in 2007. Unde the name Baby Goose, he partnered up with fellow filmmaker Zach Shields, with the two making a band that explored their shared interst in ghosts, graveyards and spooky things. “Zach was wearing high heels when I first met him, and we were forced to live in the same house on the first day,” said Gosling to Pitchfork. “I thought, ‘Who is this guy, what am I going to do with this character?’ And then I thought, 'Well, I guess we'll start a band.’”

The two played all the instruments that are listened on the record, with Gosling teaching himself how to play the cello, the piano, and more. The record was also filled with children, with Gosling and Shields casting a bunch of kids and teens with no musical training to perform the songs. Their voices fit perfectly to stories of werewolves, zombies, and ghouls, which managed to feel both old timey and fun.

In the Room Where You Sleep

While Dead Man’s Bones never had a follow up record, Gosling doesn’t seem completely turned off to the idea of revising it. While attending the “Barbie” premiere, a journalist asked Gosling about making a sequel record and he seemed geniunely touched that she knew about the project. “Wow. That was touching that you mentioned that,” he said. “I don’t know. Maybe. Never say never.”

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