Sure, we’re always curious to know about an artist’s upcoming release, most recent tour, or arsenal of analog gear, but XLR8R‘s also got a curiosity for quirk. Thus, each week, we email a different artist and find out what makes them tick, in the studio and in life. Brighton, U.K.-based four-piece Fujiya & Miyagi released Lightbulbs in 2008. Today, bandmember David Best talks bad shows in London, great shows in Dublin, Morgan Freeman, and gout.

What are you listening to right now?

David Best: At this very second, I’m listening to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins singing “I Hear Voices.” Other than that, I’ve been listening to the Sensational Alex Harvey Band a lot, especially the LPs Framed and Next.

What’s the weirdest story you ever heard about yourself?

That my name was Eric, which was my grandfather’s name. Not really a great story, I admit.

What band did you want to be in when you were 15?

I wanted to be in Dinosaur Jr. I’ve just got a new guitar, which is the J Mascis Jazzmaster. Maybe nothing much has changed from when I was 15. I even had my hair like him and couldn’t see where the ball was when I played football. That was the main reason I stopped playing.

Worst live show experience?

There [have] been quite a few that have gone wrong, with equipment packing up and things like that. One at Cargo in London a few years back springs to mind, where everything just stopped and we stood there like idiots. The bad ones always tend to be in London, for some reason. Sometimes you think you played badly and people liked it and sometimes you think you played well and people are indifferent. So I now just judge a show on the crowd reaction.

Favorite city to play in?

My favorite city is New York, but the best place to play is Dublin, without a shadow of a doubt.

What do you do to calm yourself down?

I imagine that Morgan Freeman is stroking my hair and telling me not to worry.

What is your favorite thing you own?

A few years ago, I started collecting old soul singles, so probably one of them. Maybe Chuck Wilder’s “The Clown.”

Name one item of clothing you can’t live without.

I’m not that into clothes, really. I think of them as a necessity and purely functional, like walking or going to sleep. We used to all wear tracksuit tops, but I’m not that into them anymore. I’ve got a nice white Sergio Tacchini one.

Which is more frightening: spiders, the dark, food additives, crowded places.

I’m not that keen on crowded places, so it’s quite lucky I’m in this group, rather than a more popular one.

What did you always get in trouble for when you were little?

I was a very good boy. I can’t remember anything really bad. I rode my BMX over the flowerbed once and got a smack, which I still think was an overreaction.

What other artist would you most like to work with?

MF Doom.

What’s the last thing you read?

I just finished a book on Roxy Music by Michael Bracewell. It’s more about how they came together rather than an album-by-album type of biography. I’m also 74 pages into Ulysses by James Joyce. He had a way with words.

Complete this sentence: In the future…

Everything will only be slightly different than it is now.

Stupidest thing you’ve done in the last 12 months?

I got gout, which didn’t make me feel like the cleverest fellow around.

What’s next?

We have been making up new songs, which is quite exciting for us. We think we’ve gone as far as we can with the sound we have had on the last two records and now it is time for something different. Other than that, we are heading back to the States in a couple of weeks, and then some shows in France. I like the French.

MP3: “Dishwasher”

A musical trip through Manchester isn’t all just Smiths and Stone Roses nostalgia. Nathan, Danny, and Bruce of electro-rock outfit The Whip turn us onto some of the lesser-known gems of life in this northern town.

1. Oldham Street, Northern Quarter
This is where the whole “northern quarter” thing started, and is an important place for us. Loads of bars like Matt & Phred’s, the old Planet K (which is where Nathan first met Danny 11 years ago), and Night & Day Café. Lots of record shops and lots of fond memories for everyone in the band!

2. Butterfly Music
Originally a record shop, Butterfly is where we all used to rehearse (on the top floor), although in different bands at different times. It doesn’t sell records anymore but still lives on as a proper rehearsal space, which is a shame because we used to pick up some secondhand classics downstairs during breaks from rehearsing.

3. Kingfisher Fish & Chips
Ahhhhh, the Tib Street chippy, just around the corner from Butterfly Music. It’s where many a hungry band member found themselves before, during, or after a rehearsal. It’s the best chippy in the northern quarter—FACT! My favorite was a chip balm (sandwich) and a sausage.

4. Haçienda Apartments
This is all that is left of our most famous musical landmark, the Haçienda Club. It was owned by New Order, and was one of the most important piles of bricks in house music. Recently the building was flattened and replaced by over-priced, cheaply made apartments for terrible people who think they live in a piece of history. They just sleep on its grave!

5. Night & Day Café
Directly across from Piccadilly Records, the Night & Day is one of the most famous music venues in Manchester. During the day it’s a great bar; at night, it’s a venue that gives new bands a place to play whilst also hosting full-on touring bands from around the globe.

6. World’s First Stored-Program Computer
The world’s first stored-program computer was made at the University of Manchester. It ran its first successful program in 1948. This marked the beginning of the computer revolution. You could say that if this baby hadn’t been made we wouldn’t be making the music we make today!

7. IRA Bombing Site
On June 15, 1996, an IRA bomb went off in Manchester causing widespread devastation. The only thing left undamaged was a red postbox, which is still there today. As a consequence, and I suppose in a positive way, Manchester has gone through massive regeneration making the city into what it is today.

8. GMEX Arena
An old railway station that was used as a venue in the early ’90s, the GMEX saw all the Manchester greats. It closed down for a while but is now back up and running. This is one of the places that we would love to play. Another piece of Manchester music history.

9. The Black Lion Pub
This is the pub in Salford where Danny and I got the ball rolling with The Whip. We had a studio in the cellar—really dirty and damp, and none of the barmaids would go downstairs, as they thought the place was haunted. It was the perfect sleazy environment. Parts on the album have a faint karaoke crooner’s voice—that was from the pub above us.

10. Piccadilly Records
This is the record shop of choice for The Whip. It has always been a supporter of new music from all genres—a true independent that has survived!

MP3: “Dubsex”