Kiefer Sutherland performs Phil Collins cover for Radio 2’s Piano Room

Singer-songwriter and actor Kiefer Sutherland performed for BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room month, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra at the BBC Maida Vale studios.

The performance was during Vernon Kay’s show this morning, which was presented by Jo Whiley as Vernon was off today.

He sang his classic hit – Something You Love, new single – Goodbye California, and a classic cover of Phil Collins’ In The Air Tonight.

Kiefer chatted to Jo about his family, playing guitar, California, and playing Buttons in an upcoming pantomime film.

Speaking about his song Goodbye California, Kiefer explained that he wrote it a few years ago and was very nervous about playing it because all of the tragic things that have happened in California in the last month, but his musical arranger Juliet had done such a beautiful composition for it.

“I wrote this about three years ago because I had left California and I went back east, kind of to where I’m from and near my sister, and I wrote this song as kind of a really fond farewell to a place that made a young man’s dreams come true. And so, it’s really a love letter to California,” he said.

He is currently filming a Christmas TV special in Knaresborough, near Leeds, in which he plays a Hollywood action hero who comes to England where he ends up playing Buttons in Cinderella!

When asked what he would be wearing to play the part, Kiefer said: “Buster Keaton had a bell-hop costume that we’ve kind of modelled our Buttons costume after.”

Jo asked what kind of research he did for it, he answered: “Well, it was unfortunate because by the time I got here all the pantomimes had literally closed two or three days before. So, it has been a lot of conversation with other actors [from the cast] that have done pantomimes and things like that.”

BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room month – Kiefer Sutherland’s performance is available now on BBC Sounds and from 6pm on BBC iPlayer