Alex Hawkins - Have Your Ever Rolla Skated?

Where are you now and what’s happening?

I am currently sat in the blistering Suffolk heat in my garden. I have a mug of tea and a cigarette. Swallows are darting around our yard from building to building.

What was the first tune you bought?

The first tune I bought was ‘Hall Of Fame’ by The Script. I was never massively into music as a child but I did play guitar. I learnt this song and played it at my primary school talent show. I was so nervous.

Ever held down a proper job?

I’ve worked part time jobs for years but I’m always darting between each one. My mind starts to wonder elsewhere after some time and I become discontented.

If you could go back in time, where would you stop?

I have two answers - 1970’s, New York, Chelsea Hotel. Patti Smith has built a beautiful fantasy in my head of that time period. But also pre-technology, pre-industrial countryside in the UK. The liberation of disconnection to everybody else in the world seems amazing.

Bottle of red, bottle of white?

Definitely red.

What tune would you happily delete from your back catalogue?

Superglue. I’m over that song. But people still like it, which I love. That alone is a reason not to delete anything which I’ve made. I almost see every released song as a timestamp which is so nice to look back on.

Are you currently sober?

Yes.

As a superhero, what power would you possess?

Teleportation. I am completely influenced and emotionally affected by location. Living in London, I felt the need frequently to escape which often seemed impossible. So if I needed to get out of somewhere quickly, I’d love to be able to.

Canines or felines?

Cats.

Who would play you in a movie?

Someone who really knows me.

In three words, how would your best friends describe you?

Overwhelmed, impatient, sensitive.

Most annoyingly over-used phrase?

I don’t know.

Have you ever gone A.W.O.L?

My impulsive decisions to relocate my whole life count as AWOL to me. Anytime I’m living away from the landscape of my home is AWOL I think.

When did you last bounce on a trampoline?

Far too long ago. Maybe eight years?

Before Stranger Things S4 dropped, had you honestly ever heard of Kate Bush?

Yeah. I’m a massive Kate Bush fan.

At your dream festival, what would your top three headliners be – dead or alive?

Bob Dylan, Alabama 3 and Bill Callaghan. Bob would only have to sit there and I’d be enthralled. Bob Dylan’s older music gives me a sense of power which I will never be able to pin down. Alabama 3 make me happy to be alive and Bill Callaghan is the most direct and pure artist around today I think. “I used to be darker, then I got lighter, then I got darker again” is a lyric of his I will always remember.

What’s your pebble skimming record?

I must’ve hit six or seven. We used to skim pebbles every summer on our holidays growing up.

Worst place you’ve ever slept?

I had a drunken night in my bell-tent last summer. We woke up at 4am freezing cold, feeling extremely rough and disoriented.

Best place you’ve ever slept?

My bed. After a day spent swimming.

Have you ever roller skated?

I used to roller skate every week with my mum and sister as a teenager. I love it.