Top 9 turntable cameos in popular media

A turntable is a beautiful piece of art. It is visually appealing, sonically elite and cinematically, it can be a great addition to the mise-en-scene. It can be a whole main character in itself. Many characters from tv shows and movies that are audiophiles often boast of iconic decks. It makes many of us go, which turntable is that? 

It's like every other movie and tv show nowadays has a turntable or vinyl cameo. Actors themselves also request for certain turntables like David Duchovny on the series Californication. For his extremely complex role of an erratic, alcoholic writer he specially requested the AVID turntable that was used through its first three seasons. 

We have put together a list of top 9 turntable cameos in popular media. Do check our story for a special unknown turntable that changes records and was used in a Jack Nicolson movie. Comment below if you know which movie it is from.

La La Land- 

This LA musical stars a beautiful record player with a wooden base that cost about £250 in the 80s. It's a turntable called ‘The Legend’ by Acoustic Research. Although it was used only in one scene its charismatic presence was duly noted. You can now buy this vintage deck with suspended chassis and Linn LVX tonearm online through Ebay or Amazon as they don’t sell it anymore. 

Lara croft: Tomb Raider-

Lara Croft’s very stylish turntable which is stashed in her grand mansion is synchronised by a total of three motors and has three belts. The Clearaudio Master Reference, with its top tier features is a visually astounding turntable with a very futuristic look. Lara is a woman of culture who plays Bach’s Piano Concerto in F Minor on her deck before indulging in some intense ass kicking. 

Suits-

Harvey Spectre from Suits is a witty, confident badass with an intimidating personality. He is a corporate attorney who happens to be a vinyl nerd. His office has an entire collection of vinyl records.The turntable cameo in this series is by the Pro-Ject Genie 3 which appears in multiple episodes, sitting magnificently in its corner. Originally, another deck by Pro-Ject was used in the pilot which was then replaced by the Genie 3 for a sleeker and more elegant look. 

La Haine (The Hate)-

 La Haine is a 1995 black and white French independent film. It has a cameo by a Technics turntable which is being used by a Cypress Hill t-shirt wearing DJ, Cut Killer(who happens to be a DJ in real life). In this scene he blasts his cutup track ‘Nique la Police’, which includes elements of NWA, Notorious Big and KRS-One onto the neighbourhood through his room window. 

Star trek:Into the Darkness-

It's a relief that vinyl doesn't run out of business even in the 23rd century. This sci-fi film based in the future has an appearance by an Audiowood turntable that goes by the name ‘The Bachelor’. This transparent deck placed on a wooden plinth plays a Beastie Boys record while it rests in Admiral Kirk's living room. Although you cannot buy this version of the record player, the production version for it ‘The Big Easy’ is available online.

X-Men: First Class-

This superhero film set during the Cold War has a cameo by a turntable which is unusual for its time period. The film takes place during 1962 and the breathtaking 1973 Transcriptors Skeleton is seen playing ‘La Vie En Rose’. This deck originally has a vestigial tonearm but the one used in the film doesn't have that. Founder David Gammon actually sketched out its design on a cigarette packet one night before going to bed as he thought he might forget it the day after. 

Looper-

Looper is another sci-fi film based in the future that assures that vinyl and turntables are here to stay. It stars the very intricate and visually satisfying Michell GyroDec SE with a Rega RB 300 and Audio Technica AT-95e phono cartridge. The film's main character plays Powerful Love by Chuck & Mac on it while brushing up his French word of the day. He also carries it on his travels around the world, something that can only happen in fiction and is realistically quite difficult. 

The Mechanic- 

This is one of those films where you can say the turntable is a part of the plot. The main character of this action-thriller, Arthur Bishop is a hitman. He is also an audiophile who owns a sick hi-fi system consisting of the Pro-Ject RPM 9.2 Evolution turntable, a McIntosh C22 Reissue preamp, Jolida 502BRC valve amplifier and Pinnacle BD 1000 Tower speakers. There's a scene in the film where Bishop tells his protégé to never touch his deck ever again. He then gently wipes a record and plays it. It's a shame what happens to it in the end. 

Shame-

Shame is a psychological drama by Steve McQueen. It's a movie that very realistically depicts sex and porn addiction and how it influences people daily life and identity. The main character in this film, however scarred and unhinged, is a man of culture. He owns a Technics SL-1200 turntable and listens to Goldberg Variations by Bach on it after coming back from work. 

Read about : Fascinating turntable cameos in popular media: Looking at the iconic bird beak turntable in Flintstones.