To coincide with this Thursday's gig by The Durutti Column at the Islington Academy, the 7-14 April issue of Time Out (the London listings magazine) has a Q&A with Vini Reilly by John Lewis. Highlights include:

Favourite city in the world? Manchester, of course. It's such a vibrant, creative place - the centre of the cultural universe! But I also like Finland, Norway, Japan, and much of the West Coast of America.

What's the best thing you can cook? Bread. My brother-in-law bought me and my girlfriend a breadmaker for Christmas. We've been making lots of space cakes.

How many pairs of shoes do you own? One pair of shoes, about ten pairs of trainers, most of them Converse.

Best thing about your job? There's a moment when you play live when you're taken out of yourself, you're floating about. And sometimes when you're recording you can get so absorbed in a piece of music - the cerebral stuff goes out of the window, it becomes instinctive, almost primitive. The nearest thing to it is making love to someone you love.

Worst thing about your job? Record companies who owe you money and don't pay you in royalties. Out of the 20 labels or so I've worked with, all owe me money. Except Factory.

Ever sung karaoke? Yes, in a Thai restaurant where the owner, a Thai lady dressed as Elvis, makes everyone sing an Elvis song. I did 'It's Now Or Never'.

Labels: The_Durutti_Column

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