What’s your favourite album and song ever?
My favourite album is Has Been by William Shatner. My favourite song is ‘Mama Loved The Roses’ by Elvis Presley.

What was the best year for music?
1978. The first year I fell in love. ‘Dancing In The City’ still makes me feel magical.

What’s your earliest musical memory?
My mum singing to me: ‘round and round the garden like a teddy bear, one step, two step, tickly under there!’

Is there any particular album or song you never want to hear again in your life?
I don’t like the song ‘What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?” I don’t know why because it’s clearly an example of skilful songwriting. The trouble is whenever I hear those opening chords boredom hits me like a cricket bat on the back of the head.

If you could go back in time which musical figure would you like to meet?
Lemar.

Who would you put in your fantasy band?
Bass: Fozzy Bear; guitar: Tigger, drums; Rod Hull and Emu; vocals: Sweep.

What’s the best gig you have ever been to?
Devo, - the American band that started the new wave era, not to be mixed up with Il Divo who are not my cup of tea at all. Live in Munich in the late 80s. I knew all the words to all the songs. We met them before the show too and I tried to impress them by singing a refrain from one of their most obscure b-sides: ‘she didn’t know I was a midget’.

What was the first gig you ever went to?
I think it was Elvis Costello at the Hammersmith Odeon with my brother.

What was the last gig you went to and how was it?
Jerry Lee Lewis at the London Forum. He’s seventy-odd but he’s fantastic. He comes on and does half an hour and then kicks the piano stool away and leaves. He’s still got that ‘I’m a bad man’ attitude and its sends a shiver down your spine.

CD, Vinyl or MP3?
CD. The others are too much faff.

John or Paul?
I bet everyone says John so I’m going to say Paul. Not as cool as John but probably the more extraordinary songwriter.

East Coast or West Coast?
West Coast.

Dylan or Elvis?
Even Dylan would say Elvis to that question.