After his fascinating interview on his own blog The Coterie of Zombies I have in turn, been interviewed by The Pirate King ;p SO, here are his questions and my answers.....


Question 1: You're turning thirty soon. You say that this could be the motivator to get you fitter and happier, but your most recent post is a little maudlin, reflecting on your will (I am intestate, personally). My first question, then, is what are you doing now that you weren't doing at 20, and what do you hope to be doing when you hit 40?

Hmm I don't see the post as maudlin. I think I have a pretty healthy attitude to death, practical almost. For me, it's not something to look forward to, but not something to be frightened of either. Anyway, at 30 I am living in London, in an amazing house with some great friends. I am comfortable with who I am, whereas at 20 I was fairly self loathing. As a result of this I have a healthy sex life and social life I am very happy with. I am earning more money, yet paradoxically in more debt. Unfortunately I am in a better job that I enjoy less than the one I was doing at 20, but that is a situation that can be remedied once I pull my finger out of my (or someone else's) arse.

At 40, I hope to be a more motivated person. I want to have traveled more, experienced more and be more secure in my finances. I want to beat my streak of laziness out of myself, something I consider to be my greatest failing.

Question 2: Unwillingly, it sounds like, you've got a morbid fascination with death and sex. Freudian psychology would suggest that having lost early lovers or seen them end up on Crossroads (worse than death) would set you up with some strange tics around sex and attachment. Do you have anything you could illuminate on that front? Do those experiences shape your sexuality now?

I really do believe that. My fight or flight reaction when it comes to relationships is still set on flight. I find it very hard to form meaningful romantic relationships, but am also not really a one night stand kind of guy as a rule so things can indeed be difficult in this area. I suppose I fear people I love leaving me so distance myself as much as I can and generally don't get involved. Funnily enough, I am happy like this. I don't yearn for a boyfriend or to settle down, so even if it IS rooted in those experiences, it does not seem to affect me too much.

Question 3: Like me, it sounds like you can't sleep as much as you would like to. What do you find helps you to settle, other than gay cowboy movies? Why do you think you can't sleep?

My sleep problems are a side effect of my heart medication. Unfortunately the drugs I am on are the only ones that control my condition (after years of trying alternatives) so this is something I have to live with until new drugs come out. It is now such a firmly rooted part of my life that it hardly even causes me inconvenience.

My way of dealing with it is a glass of warm milk with a dash of whiskey, a cool room and a chapter of a good book. Oh, and no man in my bed to poke/prod me and steal all the covers.

Question 4: You live in Peckham, an area of London that has quite a dodgy reputation - even if you're in the posh end, is it deserved? Is it the place you'd choose to live? If so, what appeals about the area, and do you see much that re-affirms the negative stereotypes people have about the area?

No, it is absolutely not deserved. I lived in Peckham proper for 4 years and never had a problem. I felt safer walking the street there at night than almost anywhere else I have lived. There is a real sense of community where I am now, almost a village feel to the place. I shop at the local butcher, fishmonger and grocer. I know the people in the shops and stop and chat, my neighbor's are friendly and helpful and people say 'good morning' as they pass you on the street. I can't see myself moving from this area for quite some time now, I would even consider buying here if I decided to go down that route.

Question 5: Your blog moves across quite a few different subject areas - sex, movies, jokes and the like. What is it you hope people get out of reading your blog? Oh, and as a follow-up cheeky extra question, you say you're a frustrated writer - what are you doing about that, other than blogging?

Hmm, difficult question. I have 2 blogs, one a more personal one and this one. I guess I intended this blog to be a bit more entertaining than my day-to-day one. Slightly wittier and written in style more for other people than for me. The honest answer is that this blog is written for attention and it is still in its early days of experimenting styles to find out how I can entertain better and gain more attention.

Is that not the reason most blogs, whatever the subject or style, are created for? Sure, it can be cathartic, it can be therapeutic, it can be a way of making your opinions matter. But at the end of the day, we all want to be liked. Or at lest to be noticed....

As for your cheeky question, I am working on a book at the moment and am also toying with an idea for a play. I have had 2 plays staged so far, both to reasonable success, but the book is where my passions lie at the moment and these things take a lot of time and research to do justice to, so people won't hear much of it on here unless it gets published. Then, of course, I shall brag about it until I am blue in the face ;P