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© Brian Pike 2007
How do you spend your spare time?
Letting the cat out. Letting the cat in. Clearing up after the cat. Listening to the cat complaining. Complaining about the cat.
Who are your heroes?
Columbo and Long John Silver.
I recommend against having real-life heroes. They will inevitably disappoint you.
By the way, Columbo is truly represented only in Columbo series 1 to 7, 1971-1978. The 1980s revival is a pathetic shadow of the original.
What is your favourite time of year?
Suppertime.
Where would you most like to live?
Innsmouth, Essex County, Massachusetts.
What do you most fear?
Death. Life. Spiders. Things that look like they might be spiders, like those little green stalky bits on top of tomatoes.
What one thing couldn’t you live without?
How come I only get the one thing? What is it with you people?
What was the last book you read?
Hard to say. I’m forever part-way through several dozen books.
Every couple of years I re-read Russell Hoban's The Mouse and His Child and Riddley Walker. And the complete works of Philip K Dick.
What music do you listen to?
Anything and everything, just so long as it's good.
At the moment I couldn't get by without:
Akira Rabelais, Alva Noto, Aphex Twin, Arthur Brown, Barbara Morgenstern, Bela Bartok, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Bill Laswell, Biosphere, Bix Beiderbecke, Bjork, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Brian Eno, Burning Spear, Charles Ives, Charlie Hunter, Claude Debussy, Cream, Cypher 7, Dave & Ansel Collins, David Sylvian, David Thomas, Devo, DJ Krush, Duke Ellington, Earth, Eivind Aarset, Four Tet, Frank Bretschneider, Garage a Trois, Gas, Ginger Baker, Harmonia, Harold Budd, Herbie Hancock, Jah Wobble, Joe Hisaishi, John Scofield, Jon Hassell, Kangding Ray, King Crimson, Komet, Kong, Kraftwerk, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Leos Janacek, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Marconi Union, Material, Maurice Ravel, Max Richter, MC Solaar, Medeski Martin & Wood, Michael Brook, Michael Nyman, Miles Davis, Mokira, Mouse on Mars, Murcof, Nik Bartsch, Opto, Pan Sonic, Passport, Paul Lawler, Pere Ubu, Nicky Skopelitis, Nils Petter Molvaer, Pete Namlook, Philip Glass, Pole, Praxis, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Richard Chartier, Robert Fripp, Ryoji Ikeda, Senking, Signal, Soft Machine, Spaceheads, Stereolab, Steve Reich, Steve Tibbetts, Susumu Hirasawa, System 7, Talking Heads, Taylor Deupree, Terje Isungset, Terry Riley, Tetsu Inoue, The Fall, The Upsetters, Thelonius Monk, Thomas Koner, Tol, To Rococo Rot, Tonto's Expanding Headband, Toshinori Kondo, Trilok Gurtu, T.Rex, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Von Sudenfed, William Basinski and Youssou N'Dour.
But there's more. So much more.
And what about films?
Depends on my mood. My favourites include:
12 Angry Men, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Hudsucker Proxy, Koyaanisqatsi, Kikujiro, Sonatine, Dolls, Hana Bi, A Scene at the Sea, Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Aguirre Wrath of God, The Magnificent Ambersons, Le Bal, Malcolm, Bringing Up Baby, The Innocents,Tekkonkinkreet, Barry Lyndon, Baraka, My Neighbour Totoro, Chunking Express, Ran, Seven Samurai, Floating Weeds and Waking Life.
What music do you want to be played at your funeral?
'Beautiful World', the elevator music version from Devo's 'E-Z Listening Disk'. It would be ironic on so many levels. Unfortunately you need to have heard the original version to know why, so I'll probably be the only one there who's roaring with laughter.
Note to funeral director:
While you're at it, you might as well play a few other tracks from the rest of the album. '4th Dimension' and 'Mongoloid' for a start. Thanks!
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