British Comedy

I like the surrealism and the anti-establishment aspect of it. A lot of British comedy seems to explore class issues. Sex is always important - what were Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Williams etc. about if not the position of women in British society, but expressed through the camp ironicism of gay men? I like nearly all British comedy - from Max Miller and Will Hay, through Ealing and Carry-on, the ghastly hilarious northern comedians of the seventies, the 'alternative' eighties types (Rik Mayall, Alexei Sayle), and right up to now - The Fast Show, League of Gentlemen, Smack the Pony.

With relatively few exceptions, American and Australian comedy just doesn't cut it for me. It's too obvious. I'm told the Canadians and Kiwis are more like the British.

All time favourites? Pete and Dud, Dick Emery, Spike Milligan, Frankie Howerd definitely. Anyone I hate? Ben Elton must come close.

Brighton

London is too big. It's smelly and noisy and full of people. Brighton seems to be just the right size, and it has all the things London has, plus the sea, some truly wonderful faded glamour, and in addition is only half an hour from the South Downs and spectacular English countryside.

I started going there as soon as I was allowed to leave Havant without my Mum and Dad. I used to buy a day-return and just hang out there all day. I'd read all those great books about Brighton and it's seedy underworld: Graham Greene's Brighton Rock, and The West Pier by Patrick Hamilton.

There are trendy shops, markets, car boot sales. Brighton is very cultural. All the bands play there, and films show there too. Because the major political parties have their annual conferences there, it is also very interesting in terms of debate and ideas. There are always lots of free things to do, and in addition to that they have an attractive football team sponsored by Skint (Fat Boy Slim's label).

Fifty miles from London, forty miles from Portsmouth. What more can you want? The fact that I've never actually lived there probably makes it all the more attractive to me.

Pop Music

I don't know why pop music has always affected me so deeply. I've tried to get in to classical music and jazz, but always without much conviction. With a few notable exceptions, it's pop for me. As a child the Carpenters and Abba represented pop perfection, and then when I got older and had other concerns, the Pet Shop Boys and the Smiths seemed to express that for me. I like three minute singles, and I love the feel of a CD. It's not fashionable to say it, but I think I prefer CDs to vinyl. Especially as far as albums are concerned. I like the size and portability of CDs. I like the little plastic jewel box. It's always a thrill to buy a new one and open it up to look at the insert.

'All eras in pop music are golden ages, or will be looked upon as such by the only generation that matters at any given time. Not only are all ages in chart pop equal, chart pop never changes, it only appears to change on its surface level ... what does change is the technology ... All records in the Top Ten (especially those that get to Number One) have far more in common with each other than with whatever genre they have developed from or sprung out of'.
From The Manual by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty

My own favourite eras are the mid-sixties (Lennon & McCartney, Bacharach & David, Tony Hatch, Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, Goffin & King, Antonio Carlos Jobim), glam rock (Bolan, Bowie, Lea & Holder, Chinn & Chapman, Martin & Coulter), Philly soul, disco (Edwards & Rodgers, Jam & Lewis), punk, indie-house (MARRS, S-Express, KLF, PWEI, Bomb the Bass), Trevor Horn, and Pete Waterman.

Even today, people like Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, and Britney's team of Martin/Rami are writing and producing tunes that will be classic oldies in years to come.

Television

Well it may do a lot of harm if you're young and you watch too much of it, but aren't most enjoyable things like that? Like many baby-boomers (and I hate that term), TV is part of my culture because I grew up with it.

If you chose wisely television can be great edutainment. We're particularly lucky in Australia to have SBS, but if you lived in the UK and had Channel Four and BBC2 you'd be even luckier.

Greatest TV moments? John Noakes climbing Nelson's Column, PiL on the Old Grey Whistle Test, Gazza's tears, Joanne Whalley's topless scene in A Kind of Loving.

My Perfect Night of TV?

5.00 Blue Peter
5.30 Grange Hill
6.00 Dad's Army
6.30 Seinfeld
7.00 Call My Bluff
7.30 Coronation Street
8.00 Brookside
8.30 A Question of Sport
9.00 A Taste of Reeves and Mortimer
9.30 The Bill
10.30 Sportsnight
11.30 Any late night arts show

Chihuahuas

I like all small dogs, but have only ever owned chihuahuas. One was actually a cross between a chi and a daschund. A very weird looking dog that we took on when it was homeless. The previous owner had grandchildren who tried to hang it from its lead. Selina kept the other two when we split up.

Chihuahuas are very affectionate dogs, love having fun, love being loved, and spend the rest of the time sleeping. I mean - what else is there in life of any importance? Dogs (and to a lesser extent cats) are great existentialists.

Asian Food

One of the best things about Sydney is the quality of Asian food available for very little money. Chinese, Indian – yes of course. But also Japanese, Korean, Malay, Indonesian, Thai, Nepalese, Vietnamese. There are whole suburbs where every restaurant seems to serve food from one or other South East Asian countries. I always aim for a restaurant with formica table tops and a box of tissues on the tables. These are the Mom and Pop places that serve the best food the cheapest. My personal preference is for soups – Vietnamese pho, or laksa from Malaysia.

Routemaster Buses

What's not to like about the Routemaster? It's big, it's red, it's slightly dangerous. Every time I go back to London I expect the Routemaster to have been phased out, and by and large it has. There are tons of those one-man operated double deckers in London, but some routes - the 159, the 19, the 73, are resistant. Safety-wise they leave a lot to be desired. The back is an open platform for getting on and off, which you can do while the bus is moving. The stairs are narrow (and slippery in the inevitable rain). But you can get on any Routemaster and have a great unguided tour of London at any time. My favourite seat is that sideways one over the back wheel on the opposite side from the door. Reg Varney, Cliff Richard, Brinsley Forde - they knew the meaning and value of the Routemaster.

The Bonds T-shirt

Actually, I like cotton generally. For a start it doesn't come from animals, secondly it's natural, and thirdly it gave us the blues (sort of). But there's something about the cotton that Bonds use in their raglan sleeved t-shirts that just gets better with age. I've worn Fruit of the Loom, I've worn Hanes, and I've worn Jockey, but nothing comes close to the feel of a Bonds. You can buy them from garage sales and op-shops, and they can have been worn a hundred times by someone else, but they still feel pretty nifty. For some reason though, the white ones are never as good as the coloured ones.

Cardigans

The cardigan is the Tony Bennett of fashion. It stands outside fashion, thumbs its nose at the style magazines, and never appears on the catwalk. For that reason alone it should be celebrated, but there’s more. In its sheer variety of styles and applications, there is nothing so useful in braving the mysteries of the urban weather system. Sling it over your shoulder, wear it around your waist, hang it on your arm. I only own one, but one is enough. The cardigan suggests a casual intelligence, a political liberalism, experience and wisdom. Worn with slacks, loose corduroys, or jeans it relays a message that says – I’m trustworthy and sensible. Did Hitler wear a cardy? Did Stalin? Or Pol Pot? Of course not.

An important point - the cardigan should always be made of wool or cotton, and be well fitted for company, or loose for the home.

Garage Sales