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The Last Word: Nicky Wire - Q Magazine, July 2016

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Title: The Last Word: Nicky Wire
Publication: Q Magazine
Date: July 2016
Writer: Niall Doherty
Photos: Alex Lake


When was the last time you had a birthday party?

I've only ever had one, which was when I was about six or seven. I just kind of hated it. People came to my house, I cried, I made everyone switch the lights off and my mum and dad got rid of everyone. I've not had one since.

When was the last time you read Q?

I read every issue of Q, I still love music papers. Q took fucking forever to put us on the cover! The shit you chuck on the cover now after just one album. We had to sell fucking 10 million albums just to get a cover!

When was the last time you listened to the band's early recordings?

I think that most people know that I am the dullard of the band, that is, the band's biggest fan. I tend to listen to a lot of our stuff, even early shitty demos. The earliest recordings we've got is me, James [Dean Bradfield] and the original bass player Flicker, and there's songs called Antisocial, Love In A Make-Up Bag, Dying A Thousand Deaths, there's a bit of politics and a lot of not being able to get a girlfriend. A lot of that.

When did you last show someone your Brit Awards?

My mum shows them to everyone that comes round, 'cos she's got them. She keeps them on display. Every time the gas man comes round, or someone to fix something, she just happens to pull one down.

When was the last time you were star-struck?

When I saw Anthony Hopkins in the Hyatt Regency in Cologne. He was just sat there, staring out of this big window in silence with that deep Welsh melancholia that we all have. I wanted to go up to him but I was too star-stuck to do so.

When did you last forget how to play one of your songs?

Probably about two weeks ago in Copenhagen, or Stockholm, and it was You're Tender And You're Tired. I forgot a couple of the notes. I glared at one of the session guys and pretended it was them, but deep down I knew the shame was all mine.

When was the last time you missed a flight?

Two years ago doing Benicàssim. It wasn't my fault. Our tour manager mistimed his drive from Leicester and it turned into a nightmare because he had my passport. But I didn't shout at anyone. I kept it inside.

When was the last time you baked a cake?

I think it was probably again when I was about six or seven years old. My mum used to let me mess around with pastry, then give me the cream to lick the bowl out. I hate cooking. I hate cooking programmes. I find food so boring - the way its been elevated to this art form. It's ruined Saturday mornings. We've gone from watching The Banana Splits to watching some fat chef tell us what to eat to make our lives "whole". I can honestly say I've never baked, ever.

What's the best album of the last 30 years?

McCarthy's I Am A Wallet, because it opened my eyes to what you could do with lyrics. That lyric is pretty unbeatable for post-Marxist pop.