Adam Sandler’s Surprising Favourite Album Revealed

Adam Sandler isn’t the first bloke you’d peg as a grunge fan. Known for his loose basketball kit and cheeky comedy tracks—like that one about misplacing his phone, wallet, and keys—he’s always seemed more at home with hip-hop than the Seattle sound. But as it turns out, Sandler’s musical taste leans heavily towards the gritty side of the ‘90s, if his pick for a top album is anything to go by. His choice? A 1994 release fronted by a powerhouse woman, which stirred up plenty of talk at the time but has since become a staple of the era.

Chatting with George Clooney for a promo about their new film Jay Kelly, Sandler let slip:

You know what entire album I listened to? No problem. Hole, Live Through This. I remember I was on tour. I was doing standup and uh that album just came out and I was in my car a lot and I listened to the track one and I was like, ‘Ooh, that was Nasty’. Track two, I was like, ‘two for two.’ And then I just said, ‘I guess this whole album is going to be great.’

Hole’s Impact and Courtney Love’s Legacy

Led by Courtney Love, Hole copped a fair bit of flak back in the day, with some writing them off as a vanity project. But the reality was, they had tunes that could go toe-to-toe with any other band from the grunge scene. Their two big records, Live Through This and Celebrity Skin, are still held up as some of the best guitar albums of the ‘90s. Love herself was a force—sharp, creative, and never shy about firing back at critics, especially when folks tried to paint her as a Yoko Ono figure during her time with Kurt Cobain and Nirvana’s rise.

The title Live Through This felt like a bit of a personal mantra for Love. Even after the album went platinum, there were still whispers that Cobain had a hand in writing the songs—rumours that probably weren’t helped by his backing vocals on a couple of tracks. Before this record, Hole had a reputation for being pretty hardcore, but Love made a conscious shift towards something more melodic and accessible, drawing inspiration from bands like the Pixies and Echo and the Bunnymen.

Different Tastes: Sandler vs Clooney

While Sandler’s pick was all about raw energy and edge, Clooney went for a more classic choice. He named The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from 1967 as his favourite, saying,

There’s not a bad track on it. The way we thought about things changed and the music changed.

Their film Jay Kelly, which hit screens last month, sees the pair playing an actor and his agent on a trip around Europe, reflecting on their lives back in the States. The film’s directed by Noah Baumbach, who’s known for his work on Marriage Story and for teaming up with Wes Anderson and Greta Gerwig, including on last year’s Barbie.

Hole’s Later Years and Legacy

As for Hole, Courtney Love officially called it a day for the band in 2013 after a brief reunion. She did a few solo gigs after that, and there were rumours of the band getting back together in 2014 and 2019, but nothing came of it. Love’s move to the UK put a stop to any further shows, leaving fans to reminisce about the band’s heyday and the impact of their music.