THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Ed Castelow of Dictaphone Blues

Ed Castelow is the mastermind behing the pop-rock implosion that is Dictaphone Blues' new album Beneath the Crystal Palace.

Formerly in the Ruby Suns and the Brunettes. he has taken a prolonged and rewarding trip into psychedelic pop without whimsy, rock with stadium-shaped songs and plundered the Manual of Power Pop Riffs And References to create something exciting, familiar yet new, loud yet subtle, and widescreen but full of intelligent detail.

The impressive debut album On the Down and In prepared the ground, Beneath the Crystal Palace -- recorded at The Lab studios in Auckland which is indeed beneath the old Crystal Palace picture theatre -- sends in the troops carrying guitars. It's reviewed here.

It is an album to play loud . . . and often.

Time for him to answer the Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire. 

The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .

The first piece of music I can remember is Bob Marley “Is This Love”. Weird for a white kid growing up in Ashburton.

Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .

Baby Animals.

Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?

Lennon, Nirvana, Lauper, Jackson.

If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .

Hotelier or Chocolatier.

The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .

Hallucinogens – The Boxcar Rattle

Cliché – Dictaphone Blues

The song that if you heard it would make you wee in your pants.

Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home?

I own very little.

The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .

Day and Night With The Clash – Johnny Green.

If you could get on stage with anyone it would be . . . (And you would play?)

Joe Strummer – Stay Free, or Elvis Costello – Welcome To The Working Week.

The three films you'd insist anybody watch because they might understand you better are . . .

Back To the Future (probably II)

Holy Mountain

Rad

The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include . . .)

Opposite Sex LP. If you are including album swapsies.

One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .

Real Cool Time – The Stooges

The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .

Jimi Hendrix – Axis Bold As Love

You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is of . . .

The date the world will end.

David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all we've got . . .” You would spend them where, doing . . .?

Making Love, rolling spliff and playing music.

And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”

Sake, hot thanks.