Friends in e-places no.8: Lisa Bullock

Lisa, or L-Bo as she is known to her friends back in the projects, hails from Dartford, and isn’t the least bit ashamed. After spending as much time as she could at Goldsmiths College, abusing the Fine Art students, she ignored the fact that she had trained as a historian, and promptly became an Events Co-ordinator for Dartford Borough Council, which could be described as a contradiction in terms. Once Ken Livingstone heard about her extraordinary talent for organising Allotment Prize presentations, town centre bell ringing contests and hideous fetes, he promptly hired her to co-ordinate events on Trafalgar and Parliament Squares. She is now a fully paid up member of the beret wearing gla staff. Can usually be found on a Saturday night on the dance floor of the Bull and Vic in Dartford Town Centre, demanding that the DJ play some Joy Division.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • Probably London’s Early Modern Pleasure Gardens (Careful). If that couldn’t sustain 30 or so questions, I’ll go for The gaffes and possessions of Derek Acorah, as seen on Most Haunted Series 1–4.

Europe or America? • Europe. I’ve watched too much Louis Theroux to think any other way.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • Freakonomics, which is readable. I’d never thought the application of number science could be that interesting (sorry Rich). Also re-reading George Orwell’s Coming up for Air, often overlooked I think.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • guardian.co.uk and bbc.co.uk, but of course, only after I have consulted Joe Mott’s Daily Star Column. Someone once compared his writing style to the central character in American Psycho. Charlie Brooker, you are a deeply flawed genius.

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • I’m not sure I could actually use the term ‘happy’, however, ”impressed’ is probably a fair adjective. I am not quite at my optimum weight anymore, and thanks to lunchtime jaunts around the Square Mile, and a little less Nigella style cooking, the number is steadily dropping. However, as a fighting weight, I am more than satisfied.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • Have I Got News for You is still fresh, and makes me laugh out loud every week. I remember rubbing my hands with glee when Ian Hislop decimated Piers Morgan, and in my darker moments, it still cheers me. I’m also enjoying Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive, which although only a quiz in the loosest sense, is a brilliant, hilarious, painful study of self obsession.

What is your favourite building? • Tough one. I’ve got a real fondness for Charles Holden’s tube stations, and Chiswick Park, Arnos Grove and Clapham South are particular favourites. Senate House, the University of London Library is imposing, although studying in the history section on the 6th floor was terminally depressing. I also love the old Coronet in Woolwich — much overlooked, and fading fast, but a joy to see at if you are ever waiting for the ferry. I also love the old wharf buildings — restored beautifully for the most part in places like Wapping, and decaying, but still incredible in Silvertown. Also recently had the pleasure of visiting Warrior Square in St Leonard’s, East Sussex. Marine Court is a fantastic deco throwback, and the Square itself has so many examples of that fantastic Edwardian style which is now thought of as exclusive to London squares and seaside resorts, but can be found in pockets all over. The area is about to embark on an extensive restoration project, which will hopefully preserve its character, rather than pander to its growing popularity as a commuter town.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Edward Hopper. Can’t think of a painting I don’t like, but Approaching a City, Drug Store, New York Movie and Compartment C, Car 293 are particular favourites. Nighthawks hangs happily in my bedroom, and The Simpsons spoof poster of the scene in my kitchen. I’m nothing if not populist.

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Private Eye. Still not got round to it.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • Probably too much (although I’m still not convinced you could ever be too interested). I have lost count of the times I have pissed friends off by turning a lovely lunch into a verbal brawl. Its not even as if I’m really even that well informed — I think the Estuary in me just likes a ruck.

What is your favourite font? • Arial. It isn’t really, but I don’t know the name of the one TfL [Transport for London] use.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • Develop Derren Brown style mind control skills in order that I might have the edge in social situations. Will have to wait for his book to come down in price in Waterstone’s though if Amazon no longer exists.

OK Computer or The Bends? • The Bends. Sorry.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.7: Ricky Banks

Ricky lives in South East London with Liz, his wife to be. He works at the BBC on various podcasting, blogging and Listen Again-related stuff. Ironically, he’s a pretty rubbish blogger himself. One day, he’ll write a novel, live off the money from the screenplay and retire to a farm in New Zealand.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • Apocayptic themes in the dramatic works of Samuel Beckett; The cinematic style and thematic traits of Film Noir; The music of Blur.

Europe or America? • Europe.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith; Atomised by Michel Houellebecq

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • BBC News / Sport; BBC Radio; Flickr; Rightmove.co.uk*; Findaproperty.com* (* until Lizzie and I find a house, you understand)

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • My what?

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • Nevermind The Buzzcocks

What is your favourite building? • St Paul’s Cathedral / Broadcasting House

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Banksy. What canvas?

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Mojo

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • Well, everything and nothing, really. Because I know it’s all absolutely relevant to me, but I don’t have the time to separate the lies from the half-truths.

What is your favourite font? • Tahoma.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • After wiping away the tears, I’d pick up my guitar and play. Maybe go for a few walks with Liz, and organise some games of 5-a-side of footy. Oh, and I’d spend more time watching films.

OK Computer or The Bends? • Oh christ, the million dollar question…erm….The Bends, because it’s home to Street Spirit, one of the most starkly beautiful songs ever written.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.6: Ben Supper

Ben Supper had an uneventful childhood in Reading before moving to Guildford and studying there for seven years. He has occupied much of the twenty-first century trying his hand at academia, journalism, broadcast engineering, computer programming, web design, and playing the piano. Freshly qualified as a world authority on a very specialised area of acoustics, Ben develops audio equipment for a living.

After moving to Pinner in London last November with his wife Michelle, Ben restarted supperware.net, a blog which he is hoping will force him to get out more.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • If I wanted to win, I’d choose something very dull because my specialisms are in acoustics, electronics, and computing. Instead I’d choose ‘French Classical music in the early Twentieth century’, just so I’d be compelled to learn more about one of my favourite musical periods.

Europe or America? • America provides the better environment for converting intelligence into money. For every other reason, Europe.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • Margrave of the Marshes by John Peel. He writes excellently and it’s a great shame his time ran out before he finished it. King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard. I missed it when I was the right age for it, so it’s been on my bookcase for a quarter of a century. I’ve also been dipping in and out of Magnus Mills’s ‘The Scheme for Full Employment’, but after a hundred pages it hasn’t got very far.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • Outside my work remit, BBC News, Wikipedia, normblog, minor9th, arbitraryconstant. I’m sorry my answer couldn’t be more eclectic and less sycophantic.

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • The number itself is a rather mediocre 23.2 which doesn’t interest me at all, although its seasonal periodicity might be interesting.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • I enjoyed University Challenge when it was on. The subjects and questions aren’t so trivial as they are in other quizzes. I haven’t seen a quiz show for two years since we got rid of our television, and very recently I only narrowly avoided appearing in one.

What is your favourite building? • My favourite building is The Science Museum in London. I’d happily be locked in it for a week. If [design] were my main criterion, I’d choose the Seagram Building in New York, although I’ve only experienced it through photographs and commentary.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • I admire many artists, but Vincent Van Gogh is the only one whose work has rendered me speechless. Leonardo da Vinci comes a close second (even Dan Brown couldn’t ruin him).

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Private Eye, and I’ve got one (although I don’t agree with much of what they write). New Scientist would be my next choice. I like The Economist too, but can rarely afford it.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • Legislation, policing, taxation and spending are the products of the political system, and their mechanics are fairly well understood by the people who control them. Aside from participating in elections, my role in politics so far has been passive.

What is your favourite font? • Palatino nova (serif); Ocean Sans (sans serif). I wouldn’t use them together.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • Spend some quality time with my wife. If that doesn’t work, thrash a piano for a couple of hours and then open a book.

OK Computer or The Bends? • OK Computer. I prefer it, but I wouldn’t try to argue that it’s the better album.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.5: James Sheppard

James / Jim / Jimbo lived with Rich in the year following university back when flathunting was new and exciting and he was making the first few steps as a graduate in his future career, before heading to London to seek his fortune. Currently he’s coming to terms with stupid house prices and the cold realisation that there are many working years ahead followed by a rubbish pension and then death.

He’s also coming to terms with the fact that when people call him a “geek”, it is as the widely accepted term of endearment and / or backhanded praise, so frequently takes exception and denies the epithet.

Soon, James will be leaving the chaotic world of IT Consulting to become a software engineer for a company with a more relaxed environment and better work-life balance (at least he keeps telling himself that). He also keeps a sporadic blog on his eponymous website, jimshep.co.uk. Geek.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • Quotes from the Monty Python films.

Europe or America? • Europe did “The Final Countdown” which is awesome. America’s “A Horse With No Name” is good but not in the same league. Europe wins.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • Down Under, by Bill Bryson. I bought it before going on a 2 week trip to Australia but am still reading it months after returning. I’m quite a slow reader really. The book is entertaining, despite being like listening to your friend’s occasionally funny but also slightly perverted Dad.

Sharp Practice: The Real Man’s Guide to Shaving by Anders Larsen. My girlfriend bought it for me at Christmas; she must think I’m a Real Man.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • dilbert.com – It always gets my day off to a good start, because I know that no matter what crap I may have to deal with, someone else out there feels the pain too. Then it’s off to the Beeb UK news front page.

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • I’ve never worked it out. I usually go by how much flesh hangs over the top of my pants, with which I currently am happy, yes.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • Numberwang. If you want a non-fictional answer I used to really like Remote Control, a long gone show on Channel 4. Oh, come to think of it QI is pretty good. They seemed to have it on back-to-back on one of the Sky channels over Christmas and it never seemed to get boring, although the same faces kept appearing as apparently there’s only a handful of celebs witty enough to appear on it.

What is your favourite building? • Probably the Eiffel Tower. Is that technically a building? Just in case it isn’t, I’ll say something else instead. Er, how about the Sydney Opera House? That’s nice.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • My mum’s. The canvas was the wall of our living room.

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • MAD Magazine – I know it’s a comic but I love it. Either that or Clark Magazine – it’s a French design mag that I picked up on the way back from Paris once because I liked the cover. I couldn’t understand a word but the pictures were cool.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • I like to think that there are people out there who understand it all much better than I do, and are doing the right thing to make things as good as they can be. I know I’m wrong, but that’s my excuse for being apathetic right now.

What is your favourite font? • Verdana. Bold. Teal. It’s what I use on msn. I suppose I’m a bit of a font pleb really.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • At first I’d lament the fact that I’d never posted anything onto stuffonmycat.com. Then I’d pull myself together and come up with some great photo ideas to execute so I could help to re-populate the site when it came online again.

OK Computer or The Bends? • I had a look at my mp3 collection and whilst I only have 3 from OK Computer, I’ve got all 12 songs from The Bends despite owning both albums in their entirety. Now, is this because OK Computer is 4 times better and therefore only a quarter of the number of tracks are needed for equivalent music pleasure, or is it that The Bends has consistently better tracks? Probably the latter.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.4: Dan Hill

Dan Hill is a designer and writer, living and working in London. He blogs at City of Sound.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • Oh god, no idea. I’m a generalist, not a specialist. Could I destroy
the game by picking general knowledge as my specialist subject?

Europe or America? • Europe. Every time. Mainly for the civilisation. Only exceptions would be New York — which is basically a European city, stretched — and Seattle, which feels Northern
European-meets-Pacific; a nice combination. For the ‘New World promise’ that America clings to, I prefer Australia. Anyway, Europe for its unbeatable collision of the Mediterranean with Scandinavia, with Zürich ending up as the result.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • “The Damned United”, by David Peace, a fictionalised account of Brian Clough’s 44 days
in charge at Leeds United in 1974. Absolutely fantastic, utterly compelling. Actually I just finished that. So now started ‘Collapse’ by Jared Diamond. OK so far, if a little dry. I’m multi-tasking these with a few coffee-table-sized doorsteps: a new biography/monogram on my design hero, Josef Müller-Brockmann, by Kerry William Purcell, and Clive Challis’s majestic book on the great advertising creative Helmut Krone. Also a history of photojournalism — Things As They Are — and the new Edward Tufte. These
flit in and out of my consciousness, hanging around on my desk at home.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • The blogs/feeds I tend to prioritise are things like Things magazine, Coudal, BLDGBLOG, Design Observer, Archinect, Inhabitat, Russell Davies… There are quite a few by mates that I keep an eye on, plus a wider
set of blogs — from related cities, from related industries, from
related interests. In all, there must be 150+ blogs I follow with NewsFire. Obviously, I’ll rarely check them all daily. At the moment, a weekly browse is all I’m managing.

I get breakfast news radio from Five Live, mainly because the football.
Speaking of which, there are guaranteed daily visits to Liverpool FC website, and the football pages of the following websites: BBC Sport, The Guardian and The Independent.

That’s it daily. (I buy the Financial Times at the weekend and The
Economist every Friday, and quite a few other magazines… )

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • I have no idea, as I don’t know how much I weigh. I’m about 6’1″, and while I’d rather I was leaner, I’m OK I reckon.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • I don’t watch any. I remember liking Blockbuster a lot, as a kid, and then student. That was good.

What is your favourite building? • Tricky one! That’s like saying what’s your favourite music or something. It varies, depending on mood, context, use etc. I guess I’d plump for the Mies Van Der Rohe Barcelona pavilion, though I reckon that might change if I ever get to see Villa Savoye, Zumthor’s baths in Vals, Brasilia etc. In London, I like the Daily Express building on Fleet Street a lot. I think ‘home’ qualifies too, because of who’s there.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Musicians like Miles Davis, John Zorn, Brian Eno, Arto Lindsay, John Coltrane… for sure. Then designers whose work has transcended its origins e.g. Josef Müller-Brockmann, Paul Rand, Max Bill, Abram Games, Helmut Krone, Alexey Brodovitch, etc. A few fantastical architects like Archigram, Cedric Price etc. — their work may be art as much as anything else. In terms of ‘formal art’, I like the Futurists, Dada, El Lissitzky, Edward Hopper etc. Contemporary video artists, like Bill Viola, Douglas Gordon, Jeremy Deller, and Christian Marclay. People like Paul Schütze, James Turrell, Olafur Eliasson, Donald Judd. Many photographers like Bill Brandt, Robet Frank, William
Klein, Lee Friedlander, Nobuyoshi Araki, William Eggleston, Philip-Lorca diCorcia and so on. Again, depends on what I’m interested in at that point … what projects I’m into, at the time …

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Well, I have a few. But the graphic design journal ‘Eye’ is the
consistently most interesting, appealing magazine to me. I do like the
Japanese graphic design magazine ‘Idea’, and don’t have a sub for that,
so maybe that’s the one. Are you asking? (I think Monocle might be
worth watching, btw.)

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • Unfortunately little, in the party political sense. Can’t stick a
credit card between their policies really. And none really address what
I think is really problematic, in a small-p political sense — an
everyday civility, or sense of civic value, allied with a progressive
spirit …

What is your favourite font? • For my own use, Gotham, and then I guess Helvetica or Akzidenz Grotesk.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • What I do every day anyway. Write, draw, talk to people, read, drink, eat, play football, listen to music etc.

OK Computer or The Bends? • Easy. OK Computer. The Bends is lightweight rubbish.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.3: Stef W

Stef W was born in Chav central, aka Medway. After leading a normal and stable childhood, he got into all manner of mind altering substances, the most potent of which being Politics. Currently attempting to scale the great heights of political wonkery, he occasionally lets loose a foul mouthed diatribe on arbitrary constant.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? •The Political Philosophy and Narcotic Consumption of Hunter S. Thompson OR Drum and Bass Vinyl – 1996 to present OR Swearing

Europe or America? • “My country is the world and my religion is to do good” – Thomas Paine, who, humorously enough, inspired the US revolution with his diatribes about freedom but was then told to fuck off because he was too atheist… make of that what you will.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • The History of Western Philosophy – Bertrand Russell; Making Globalisation Work – Joseph Stiglitz; VolksWorld – September Edition

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • Gruaniad, NY Times, Guido, Recess Monkey, Life Hacker, Demos

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? •
Happy with the number but not my ‘apple shape’.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • None, they are all pants, although those completely retarded ones that are on at 4am in the morning on ITV have a certain allure…

What is your favourite building? • To look at – Sagrada Familia. To be in – Balfron Tower.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Cliched as it may be, Banksy, not because he is in any way profound or particularly intellectual but because he is not profound or intellectual. The guy makes plain, vaguely political statements, that people can relate to – and he usually puts them on the street so that loads of people, who may not otherwise look at ‘art’, can see them – just great. Other than that, love Sam Taylor-Wood (and her art as well), Chris Ofilli, Christian Boltanski and John Martin.

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • Metaphor monthly, so as to improve my writing skills so that I don’t always sound like some civil servant. I think Oliver Kamm could do with the same – who knew he was a banker?

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • If the question were “What relevance… to my life?” Same as everyone else that isn’t in either the Westminister village or the parallel blogosphere – fuck all. However, to answer the real question, it’ the acidic heartburn of my every waking hour.

What is your favourite font? • A good friend of mine, the genius Orjon De Roo, created a font out of his own handwriting, which was lovely. I do also recall a font called ransom or somesuch, which was, unsurprisingly, like a ransom note.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • Masturbate the old way.

OK Computer or The Bends? • Impossible question. However, as I was knee deep in mud and floating about 30ft in the sky at Radiohead’s 1997 Glasto appearance, I will say OK Computer.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here. If you think you might like to answer these questions, let’s make friends.)

Friends in e-places no.2: Paul Wright

Paul Wright is a web developer living in London. He fulfils pretty
much all the stereotypes for such a career choice; working for a small
online company that sells gadgets & games, doesn’t stop banging on
about Ruby On Rails, wears black rimmed glasses and has a somewhat
unhealthy threadless.com addiction. The only thing missing is a
regularly updated blog (wrighty.com has been in existence for six years but has fallen to a schedule of one post a year and linkmonkeys.co.uk is going the same way).

Outside of work he cycles the mountains of South London and keeps up
to date with the happenings of Lost. One day he hopes to fully
understand the secrets of the island.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • It would be a toss up between Mainstream Cinema 1998 – Present Day,
Price Estimation Of Passing Mountain Bikes or Web Technology Fads.

Europe or America? • Interesting question. I’ve never been to the US (though planning on fixing that in March next year for SXSW) and only visited a handful
of European countries so my knowledge of both is formed mainly from
news and popular culture.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • I seem to always have at least a couple of books half-finished. At the moment it’s John Peel’s autobiography (I’ve stopped mainly as I’m at the point where his wife takes over writing) and Touching The Void by Joe Simpson, I saw the powerful documentary of the same name a while back. The last book I managed to complete was JPod by Douglas Adams, it’s an okay sequel to Microserfs.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • news.bbc.co.uk is about it for news sites. I used to have a pretty
heavy addiction to metafilter.com and more recently ask.metafilter.com
but lately I’ve managed to ween myself off both.

Other daily distractions include penny-arcade.com, dieselsweeties.com,
daringfireball.net, waxy.org/links and slashdot.org

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • “Your BMI is 26.23457. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9 you’re over the ideal weight for your height. Make sure you have a healthy, well-balanced diet and
don’t eat more calories than you need to. If you’re trying to lose
weight, get more exercise and avoid snacking and ‘crash’ diets. If you
carry your weight around your stomach, you’re ‘apple-shaped’, rather
than ‘pear-shaped’. This means you’re at more risk of health problems,
so you really need to get your weight down.”

So it looks like I’m on the threshold of being a little bit overweight
(where ‘little bit’ is accurate to five decimal places no less). I’d
attribute it to the copious beer consumed, I think it’s something to
do with the London lifestyle.

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • I don’t really watch that many quizzes but it would probably be Have I Got News For You followed by QI.

What is your favourite building? • Canary Wharf (or 1 Canada Square if you want to be picky) has always been very impressive, it was the only building in London I could see from my school window in Dartford. I also have a soft spot for Bluewater in Greenhithe; I once went to a lecture by Eric Kuhne, the head architect, who went through all the design features
they incorporated into what could have so easily been a soulless
shopping centre. The Eden Project is an outstanding development,
especially as each time you visit there’s more completed towards their
final plan for the site.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Frank Miller reinvented Batman and The Dark Knight Returns was the
background for both the original Batman and the more recent Batman
Begins. We don’t discuss the intervening films in the franchise.

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • I buy the Economist every so often and it’s a solid, interesting read, though I fear if I had a weekly subscription to it I would soon find
my house filled with unread issues.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? •
Tough question. I stayed up on election night last year to see the
results live and I think voting is important but I’m also almost
wilfully ambivalent about following politics. I went through a phase
of actively trying to keep up to date with it but eventually I
realised it just didn’t hold my interest and, much like estate agents,
the smarmy attitude of some politicians just irritated me.

In our society the media takes the place of a informed citizen and
they more than anyone else are the body that holds the government to
account for their actions. The rest of society pick a media body that
is most closely aligned to their beliefs and values and receive their
news through that particular body’s perspective.

What is your favourite font? • It used to be a font called Mañana from some freebie CD that came with
a printer. I used for all my coursework, even for my CV until certain
intervier offered a redesign; now it’s a mixture of Gill Sans and
Garamond. Not particularly original choices but at least I’ve moved
on from Arial.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do
you do to pass the time? • Go out for more bike rides, try to finish more books and take
advantage of DVD subscription services that now rely on touchtone
phones and mail order forms to organise your rental queue. Oldschool.

OK Computer or The Bends? • I can’t believe you’re going to ask all the interviewees this question
just to settle our on-going feud. Would it help to bury the hatchet
if I concede for the sake of our friendship? If not I’m sticking with
The Bends. Just to be contrary. Even if it did top that Channel 4
Top 100 Albums poll.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here.)

Friends in e-places no.1: Simon Pearson

Simon Pearson grew up in a small Welsh town where the teeth were buck and the life simple. Brought up on a diet of mammy’s soup, free milk and custard creams, he mostly wore brightly coloured shorts, had big round gold-rimmed glasses and played piano far too keenly. Suffice to say he wasn’t big on the social scene.

After a stint of cleaning out the pic ‘n’ mix and being a spotty till boy whilst picking up a few A levels, he moved to the South, where his accent was ridiculed. Dividing his time between studying music and engaging himself with all things internet, his university experiences included writing seldom-read reviews of obscure albums, wearing a Viking hat during the highly unpopular radio show Thick and Thin, and a proposition from film composer Gabriel Yared.

These days he works relentlessly as a webmonger for the company affectionately known as Auntie (though thankfully his boss refrains from that familial trait of wiping dirt from his face with a hanky). Through it all, he blogs at Minor 9th.

What would your Mastermind specialist subject(s) be? • I know for certain it would not be ‘the location of The Socks Which Have Gone Missing In My Life’, all 581 of them. It would probably be something along the lines of The Life and works of *Björk Guðmundsdóttir, or This Life Seasons 1 and 2 (classy). However, I’d be so terrified of farting in that swanky leather chair I’d be rendered speechless. I bet it’d be all creaky and noisy if you accidentally let one go, and then the whole nation would know about your flatulence.

Europe or America? • Well there are basically four ways to look at this. Geography, demography, cultural centres, food. I think Europe is enriched far more than America in the latter three categories, so if I had to choose one to explore for the rest of my life it’d have to be Europe. However if I was going for a dirty trashy weekend I’d go to New York, dance all night and stuff myself with burgers.

What book(s) are you currently reading? • The last two books I read were The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, which I enjoyed immensely because I saw parts of myself in Christopher. Also A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway which made me feel hollow and empty. I’m now reading We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver which is filled with possibly the densest and most deftly-written prose I’ve experienced in a long time. It’s the literary equivalent of eating Soreen, except that it’s more palatable.

What news sources and/or websites do you consult on a daily basis? • BBC News, Guardian Unlimited. I like to dress on the left.

Are you happy with your Body Mass Index? • Body Mass Index is, as widely reported recently, a whole load of rubbish. I am however happy with my weight (67kg) and body fat percentage (12%).

Which television quiz do you most enjoy? • I’d be lying through my bum if I said it was University challenge, as I can only answer the odd Physics or music question on that. I don’t particularly enjoy any television quiz as I think they’re all artificially slow and hence infuriating. If I had to choose it’d be Countdown. It’s raw and appealing and I love doing the numbers round.

What is your favourite building? • The one I live in. It has bright, airy rooms, it’s warm enough and the sun peeks through my window just before sunset, casting a gorgeous orange glow through the slats of the blinds above my monitor. I admire other buildings — predictably the Gherkin, the V&A museum, but basically I see buildings as functional objects and I like them best when they work well for me.

Whose art means more to you than just paint on a canvas? • Lots of people. I’m a bit of a fan of minimalism and postmodernism and I do find Rothko very calming. I also think that Banksy is a bit of a modern-day hero.

To which magazine would you most like to have a subscription? • At the moment, Runner’s World.

What relevance does politics in the United Kingdom have to you? • My interest peaks and troughs. At the moment I’m in a trough as from my point of view it seems nothing pressing is happening other than the ongoing climate debate, out of which nothing particularly positive is happening anyway, which makes me sad.

What is your favourite font? • I’m not especially fussy — if it’s sans serif then I like Arial or Lucida sans. Otherwise it’s Palatino Linotype and under no circumstances Times New Roman.

Due to an unforeseen error the Internet vanishes overnight. What do you do to pass the time? • Cry. Then read books and play the piano.

OK Computer or The Bends? • How dare you ask this? it’s so difficult. Let’s tackle it in two ways. If I go to iTunes, where I have rated every track on both albums, OK Computer has a total of 44 out of a possible 60 stars, or 73%. The Bends has 48 out of 60, or 80%, so The Bends wins.

And generally I think I agree with these numbers — I’ve always felt that as a piece of work in and of itself, The Bends is a damn cohesive and impressive listening experience — complex enough to be rewarding after a million listens but also instantly accessible. OK Computer still throws up the odd counter-melody which I’ve never noticed before some nine years after its release, and whilst the production holds the album together, it’s more adventurous and hence more diverse and hence demands a more involved listen.

I’d go with The Bends if I’m busy, and OK Computer if I want a bit of brain fodder.

(An introduction to the friends in e-places feature, and a list of all those that have appeared in it, is available here.)

Introducing friends in e-places

This post sees the introduction of a new feature on arbitrary constant: friends in e-places.

The feature aims to ask electronic (or otherwise) acquaintances of arbitrary constant what they think of the topics this site is interested in, as well as a few other fun questions along the way. It also aims to introduce readers of this site to other blogs and sites they might find interesting and / or challenging.

A list of all friends in e-places will be maintained here.