Current favourite book
I'm nearly through Lynch on Lynch, which is an extended interview with David Lynch. I'm a big fan of all things David Lynch. He has a peculiar world, and I enjoy finding out what he has to say about it. His integrity is inspiring, and his approach is intuition-based; he goes on his feelings rather than any logic. I find that beautiful and empowering.
Also, I was in a small town in Wales called Neath the other day, and I got talking on the street to a Hare Krishna, who gave me a book called Beyond Birth and Death. I wish you could see it; it has these psychedelic, insane images. I’m dipping into it out of curiosity. I like to dip into things that might not come into my hands ordinarily – it’s a good perspective on what other kind of thinking there is out there.
Restaurant
My partner and I were based in Galway these past few years but we’ve recently moved to London so we’ve been trying the different variety of food here. A recent favourite is Harar, which has a branch in Camden and another in Vauxhall. The meal was delicious, and afterwards, they do this Ethiopian coffee ceremony where they roast the beans, bring them out for you to smell, then make your coffee, which is served with popcorn. Apparently that’s what they do in Ethiopian restaurants – it must be a tradition to serve it with popcorn.
Artist
There’s a French artist called Félicia Atkinson who’s creative in many disciplines. She makes visual art, music and writing. Her visual work is as if a child took a crayon and scribbled on a page. It looks … I don’t want to say naive because that sounds negative, but it looks free. You see it and think it must have felt so good to make that. I recently got her book A Forest Petrifies: Diamond Feedback. Most of her writings before this are poetry that verges on the abstract, but this is more narrative.
Album
Six months ago I played a concert in Belgium, and it was just lucky that the support act, Catbug, really struck me. It’s just a girl and a guitar, and ever since the show I’ve been listening to her album Universe on repeat. Whenever I find something that no one I know seems to know about, I always seem to cherish it more, like it’s my little secret. It’s folk music that she recorded herself, so it has this bedroom feel to it. It inspired me to make recordings in my own bedroom with minimal equipment, and embrace the lo-fi sound.
City
I went to Bangkok in Thailand last December, and I had one of the best times I’ve ever had. There’s unbelievably delicious street food everywhere, a beautiful chaos and people who are able to go with the flow.
Actor
Jim Carrey springs to mind. He was my childhood hero – I wrote to him when I was a kid, and I got an autographed picture in the mail. He's had a different trajectory than most other actors. His recent films have been pretty out-there and he's vocalised non-mainstream, philosophical points of view. Still, whenever I see him on the screen, I'm totally right there with him. I just love his goofiness as well.
Podcast
There was a podcast I was into that isn't going any more called the Rewild Yourself Podcast. When I was living in Galway I loved to forage food, so I just loved this show because it was so educational. It was hosted by Daniel Vitalis, and with his chef friend, Frank Giglio, they did a whole episode about acorns. Most people don't realise humans can eat acorns – you just can't eat them raw, you have to soak and discard the water several time to take out the anti-nutrients, and then they're incredibly nutritious. The podcast wasn't only about foraging, it was about the whole lifestyle around it, and getting back in touch with primitive skills.
TV show
My favourite show is Twin Peaks by David Lynch and Mark Frost. It first came out in the early 1990s, with two seasons. Then they made a third season 25 years later, and I couldn’t ask for more in any televisual experience.
Film
Lucky stars the actor Harry Dean Stanton. He's in Paris, Texas; The Green Mile; Alien and lots of other films, and this is the last film he made, so he's fragile in it. It's about a guy and his wife who live in a desert town. It's really simple, and it's a bit slow-paced, but something about it is so heart-warming – this man, living out the last of his days like he's halfway gone.
Peter Broderick plays the Quiet Lights Festival in Cork, November 22nd, to 24th. quietlights.net for moret
