Joe Black: ‘I've given up my dream of Sophie Ellis Bextor becoming my best friend’ | My Life In 20

11 October 2022, 12:22

By Woodrow Whyte

In celebration of his upcoming Club Cataclysm tour, Joe Black takes a trip down memory lane to answer PopBuzz's My Life In 20 questions.

20) What movie could you watch 20 times over and not get bored?

Batman Returns! Over and over again. I can recite the entire film! Though if asked to do it on the spot I'd probably fail miserably from sheer panic of what I've confidently said I can do.

19) What topic could you talk about for 19 minutes straight without notes?

Maybe I'd be more confident with 19 minutes of Batman Returns rather than the whole runtime?

18) What was the most important thing to happen in your life when you were 18?

I could legally perform at the shows I was performing at anyway. Sorry everyone who booked me to host a burlesque show (and gave me whiskey). I guess it meant I could stop hiding things and just confidently do what I was desperately in love with, which was cabaret.

17) Who was your crush at 17?

Oh gosh. Probably someone off MySpace that, if they moved their massive emo fringe covering their entire face, I wouldn't have actually fancied them.

16) What can you remember about your 16th birthday?

I was about to say my first legal drink! I guess that answers that, doesn't it? Oops.

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Joe Black - Final Curtain (Official Music Video)

15) What did you hate at 15 which you love now

'70s fashion! I really hated it for years. I actually looked at myself today and said out loud, 'How did this happen?', as I'm looking like a '70s time traveller.

14) What TV show were you obsessed with at 14 and why?

Dragon Ball Z! I fell out of love with anime for some reason since. Nothing spurred it on. But I was OBSESSED.

13) 13 is unlucky for some. Do you have anything that you’re superstitious about?

I'm constantly paranoid that if I open the oven at home my cats are going to get in it. So, whenever I open it, I shout 'DON'T GET IN THE OVEN' at two bewildered Sphynx cats.

12) If you could live the life of any other person for 12 hours, who would you be and why?

Danny DeVito. I won't be elaborating.

11) Who was your best friend when you were 11?

FREDDIE! He was fiercely intelligent. We lost touch, but he went off to university to study zoology.

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10) Which bad habit do you hope to have quit in 10 years time?

Drag. [Editor's note: This appears to be a popular answer with drag artists.]

9) What was your biggest fear when you were 9?

The Stay Puft marshmallow man from the Ghostbusters film. I used to have recurring nightmares that he was after me. Not really that funny at the time, quite traumatising tbh. WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME THIS?

8) When you were 8, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A taxidermist! I'm not even joking...

7) Which of the seven deadly sins are you most guilty of?

LUST! 'Cause I fancy so many people.

6) You can invite six people to your dream dinner party (dead or alive), who would you invite?

EASY! Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Cab Calloway, Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, and Nick Cave. I reckon Nina would absolutely hate Tallulah. Great guests though! I would invite Sophie Ellis Bextor, but I've given up my dream of her becoming my best friend.

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A post shared by Joe Black (@misterjoeblack)

5) Name five things you can't live without.

Food, water, oxygen, cigarettes and yodelling.

4) Describe yourself in four words.

Neurotic, driven, passionate and tired.

3) Your top three songs of all time.

This question is hard. Why are you people so cruel to me? 'Curse Of Millhaven' - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. 'Make It Rain' - Tom Waits. 'Don't Smoke In Bed' - Nina Simone

2) Name two things on your bucket list.

Meet and do something – I mean ANYTHING – with Tom Waits. Coffee, dinner, duet? Honestly, not fussed. ANYTHING. And I would LOVE to get a full size Calliope fairground organ. I don't have the room! Or the money tbh. Though it's the room stopping me most of all. That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

1) Who or what is your one true love?

I'd love to say something really sentimental and deeply personal but I'm going to leave you on this one word: gin. No, wine. Oh I don't know anymore. Thank you for talking to me!

Buy tickets to Joe Black's Club Cataclysm tour here

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