Neil Buchanan is well remembered as presenter of children’s programme Art Attack! and ZZZAP! but is now in a heavy-metal band, Marseilles who are playing at the Roadhouse on November 7.
LOOKING BACK
The first song that made me want to be a rockstar, not a spaceman or a cowboy was ‘Hard Day’s Night’ by The Beatles. For a young kid growing up in Liverpool, to see them being so successful was like seeing the absolute height of rock ‘n’ roll.
I grew up at a time when people were spotting UFOs every five minutes, so films like ‘Journey to the Centre of the Moon’ I remember as really enjoying when I was little.
THE PRESENT
I really like songs that have a good song, as it was described to me ‘Muscle and Melody’, so no thrash metals, just lots of rock.
Art Attack was all about attacking all the original art philosophies, all the things that put children off studying art, and I’m not an arty-farty person, so I just see exhibitions when I go for weekend breaks. I adore the French Impressionists, especially Toulouse-Lautrec.
LOOKING FORWARD
The two songs that sum up how I lived are ‘Schools Out’ by Alice Cooper, and ‘Alright Now’ by Free, they always fired me up, and to this day really turn me on, they still send shivers up my spine.
I think I’d want to have Jack Vetriano to paint my portrait, as I would want my situation to be painted, not just me. If I only had access to one medium of the arts for the rest of my life, I would pick art, as I am currently preparing for my first personal exhibition.
