Ryan Adams: Highlights From His Record Collection : Rolling Stone

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Nas' Illmatic
Adams turned to this Nineties rap classic to help him weather a brutal split last year. "My ex turned me on to it," he says. "Every one of Nas' lines has some sense of hunger, survival and realism. At the time, I felt like my heart was physically damaged. Whenever I had that feeling, I would walk to Central Park listening to this."

Jerry Garcia
After falling off a stage and breaking his wrist in 2004, Adams had to readjust his guitar-playing style. "During my recovery, Jerry Garcia was a big influence, because he wasn't afraid to fuck up," he says. "There's such a playful nature to Jerry's guitar. He's a spiritual American who dove so deep into our culture."

Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade
"It's an album about leaving home, and I related because I left at, like, 17," he says. He got a big hug from Hüsker Dü frontman Bob Mould when they met this year, but another of his heroes from Minneapolis wasn't that into him. "Paul Westerberg said in an interview that someone should knock my teeth out," Adams says. "I left home because of things like that. I can't listen to his music again, ever."

Mariah Carey
Not only is Adams a huge fan of the R&B singer, he named an album after a Mariah Carey cut. "My manager called and said, 'You have 15 seconds to name this record,'" he says. "My eyes focused on this poster of Mariah wearing a T-shirt that said HEARTBREAKER. I just shouted, 'Heartbreaker!' Daydream is one of my most played records. People need to reinvestigate Glitter. I'm settled enough in my masculinity to say I don't see anything wrong with Glitter."