Cillian Murphy Gave Up His Teenage Acid Jazz Band But Kept His Friends

Before he was Scarecrow and Oppenheimer and Tommy Shelby, Cillian Murphy was just a lad from Cork playing rhythm guitar in an acid jazz band. They were called The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, named after a Frank Zappa track off of Hot Rats. Murphy and his friends were into funk, soul, and long instrumentals, and played a mean live show.

“I played in bands in my teens and then when I was about 18 or 19, we were offered a deal and it didn’t work out,” Murphy said in 2020, speaking with Steve Lamacq of BBC Radio 6 Music. He added, “So that was the end of the dream.”

He spoke of the band’s influences, citing acid jazz specifically. Although, he admitted that “we were probably a bit late to the party with that sound.”

“But you remember bands like the James Taylor Quartet, Corduroy and Galliano?”