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What music are you currently grooving to?
The Journey, the last album by Amsterdam is good. And Bettye LaVette's I've Got My Own Hell To Raise is killer. She covers other female composers — Sinéad, Lucinda Williams — and the songs all sound like they were written for her. Also The Zutons, Tinariwen, and Thomas Dybdahi. He's a Norwegian singer, and his One Day You'll Dance For Me, New York City is great — really delicate, almost transparently so.
What, if push comes to shove, is your all time favourite album?
It changes every 15 seconds, but I'll say The Beatles' Revolver because it's such a standby, such a great record. And my wife's new record, of course.
What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
The Fame At Last EP by Georgie Fame, in 1965, at Potter's in Richmond. It had "Get On The Right Track," "Point Of No Return" — a good musical education right there.
Which musician, other than yourself, have you ever wanted to be?
I've never wanted to be anyone but me. But people who I admire, who had a defining effect on me Sinatra, Lennon, Gram Parsons, Hank Williams.
What do you sing in the shower?
I sing scales, when my voice is in trouble. I learnt that from Tony Bennett; do it for half an hour and the steam opens things up.
What is your favourite Saturday night record?
I haven't had a weekend for 27 years, it's either all weekend or all work, so I don't know. I remember being into Double Barrel by Dave And Ansel Collins, though, when I was 15 and going to parties.
And your Sunday morning record?
I like old recordings. I love the things Joe Bussard puts out — he's preserving a lot of corners of music that are precious, mountain music, jazz, blues, music that was on 78. I dig that. And Bach, Bill Evans, Henry Purcell, Janáček. Things that are contemplative.
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