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Among the cities you travelled to, which is your favourite and why?
Havana - because music permeates every space and my hips came back more limber.
What's your favourite thing about each city?
The rivers in New York; the gentle bohemianism of Sydney's Bondi and almost everything about Havana. In Paris I liked the art squat at 59 Rue Rivoli the most. I felt Paris was a bit staid, complacent and self-conscious about it's cultural superiority, but there was an anarchic, irreverent momentum to Rue de Rivoli that I felt very much at home with.
What was the weirdest thing that happened to you?
Trying to have a normal conversation with the photographer Peter Darren Moyle in Sydney after he'd opened a couple of the doors of perception in his mind.
Who was the most inspiring person that you met?
Gaspard Delanoe at the Rue de Rivoli art squat in Paris and Father Dave, the boxing priest, in Sydney. Both of them charismatic leaders operating in the face of adversity and willing to make sacrifices for the sake of others. It was an honour to meet them and to show some of the good that they do.
What's the best way to meet local people when you're travelling to new cities?
Arrive with a grasp of the local tongue and use it at every possible opportunity. And if you play an instrument, try and use that talent at every opportunity as well. Piet, our cameraman is a great guitar player and he immediately bonded with locals whenever he picked up a guitar.
Are you still in contact with any of the people you met?
Yes. I'm still in touch with Kenny and Nato the artists from New York because we share similar interests. I think Kenny's a genius and we're doing a mail art thing together - I expect an envelope full of powder from him anyday. Since meeting Nato I've been doing lots of graffiti all over England and now have several indictments against me for vandalism and tomfoolery.
I haven't heard from anyone in Havana but I have a nasty feeling that Fidel has clamped down on communications there even more than before. I remember using an internet cafe there and literally having a state employee watching over my shoulder. Parisian Gaspard Delanoe rashly offered me an exhibition space in the Rue de Rivoli so I will be reminding him of that soon.
What did you take with you?
I always take cameras, a lot of CDs, enough sunglasses to cover the loss of at least one pair, good shoes, talcum powder and my Mac kidding myself that I will do some scriptwriting on the road.
What did you miss most?
My friends and my kitchen.
What did you bring back home?
From Havana, records by Los Zafiros a melancholic pre-revolutionary doo-wop band, guayabera shirts and black beans. From New York, some wind-up walking plastic sushi. From Paris, a special suit from a very special shop. From Sydney, lots of photography books from the awesome Gertrude and Alice secondhand bookshop in Bondi, a new boogie board, a hammerhead shark and two ideas for films.
What did you like most about the Lonely Planet Six Degrees gig?
The excellent people I met. The writer and actor Peter Ustinov said that his greatest regret was that he had no time left in his life for new friends, because the friendships he all ready had would suffer if he took on new ones, that made much more sense to me after these travels.
What's your idea of the best travel experience?
True adventure without mortal danger.
Which city do you live in?
I live in Brighton, a retirement community for professional bohemians on the south coast of England.
What's the next city you want to visit?
Antananarivo in Madagascar.
Who would you most like to meet there?
Her.
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