Music:
Old school hip-hop back when it was new - Adventures on the Wheels of Steel, Run DMC, Tim Westwood on LWR, Man Parrish, Mantronix, DJ Yoda, Beastie Boys then and now. Jurassic 5, Sway, Dilated Peoples The Smiths, The Wedding Present, Arcade Fire, Absentee, Kings of Leon, Blur, Spiritualized. The Chemical Brothers, Dancing in fields, DiY - Bounce and Serve Chilled, Bent, Colourbox, Human League, New Order and Yazoo. Kruder and Dorfmeister, The Orb, Mash-ups and mixes, cassetteboy, 2 many DJs, Coldcut and Hexstatic. alt.country and true troubadors - Johnny Cash, Josh Rouse, Lamchop, Sufjan Stevens, folky polky stuff - Kathryn Williams, Nick Drake, Kings of convenience, Magic Numbers. Lemon Jelly and LCD soundsystem, Manu Chao and Marvin Gaye, James Yorkston, Primal Scream - Screamadelica and Underworld - Second toughest in the infants. Oscar Peterson and Missy Elliot. Radiohead, Richard Hawley and Talking Heads. Timo Maas (Azzido da bass), DJ Zinc supersharpshooter, the Freestylers. 100% dynamite. Green Man Festival, Bestival, Big Chill when it was little, Shambala.
Movies:
Fargo, Dazed and Confused, Star Wars first time round, the Godfather, Rollerball, The big Lebowski, Reservoir Dogs, Alice's Restaurant, 1970s Woody Allen, Tron, Bladerunner, True Romance
Television:
Lost, 24, Mighty Boosh, King of the Hill, Spaced
Books:
Louis de Bernieres, Jonathan Coe, Arthur C Clarke, Christopher Brookmyre, Jeff Noon, Jeanette Winterson, James Ellroy, Vikram Seth, Toby Litt, Jane Austen, Ian McEwan, JG Ballard, Donna Tartt, Simone de Beauvoir