Ben Ottewell
What's on your rider?German beer, American cigarettes, Mexican Coca-Cola.
What would be on your fantasy rider?Massage therapist, fancy new suit of clothes, dialysis machine.
What's your pre-gig routine?Try and eat at least two hours before the show; try to get to the venue on time. Shot of tequila.
What's the best gig you've been to?Hired a tour bus and travelled to Paris with a bunch of friends to see Tom Waits at the Rex. He was, and still is, astonishing. He entered the stage from the back of the room, down the aisle, in a fog of glitter and flour, shouting and railing through a megaphone, and launched straight into Down in the Hole. Just great.
And the worst?We played a show in Angoulême, France, where we had drunk so much Beaujolais we could barely stand. I think two-thirds of the crowd had left by the third song. We were awful – I wouldn't like to have paid for that show.
What are your favourite and least favourite venues?Favourite is the Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco; it's a classic old hall. Least favourite? Can't really be specific as I try to eradicate them from my brain, but there are some real shitholes in the midwest of the States.
Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?We've had two Jedis – Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor. Matthew McConaughey shows up occasionally, dancing in the front with his shirt off.
Most embarrassing on-stage moment?At a festival, I think it was in Ireland, I got absolutely drenched during one show. We were in a tent and it had been raining all day and, unbeknown to me, rain had been pooling on the outside of the tent. We went on halfway through the set, and then it all came down, about five buckets full of freezing water, directly on top of me. I, along with my pedal board (lots of wiring, electrics) were saturated. Thinking this might be a little dangerous, I glanced over at the crew for some assistance, only see them laughing their asses off, so I just carried on. Good gig.
What's your crowd-pleasing number?With Gomez, probably Whipping Piccadillyor Tijuana Lady. Solo? Free to Rungoes down well.
Groupies. Would you?Sleeping my way through the road crew to get to David Coverdale or Chris Martin or whoever is not really my thing.
Have you a special stage wardrobe?Anything dark, preferably black.
Any useful stage tips?Be a moving target, and never look the bass player in the eye.
What's the worst thing ever thrown at you?The worst is always bottles.
What's your best tour story?When Ian got really drunk and stage-dived into the crowd. This turned out to be more of a stage flop. He expected people to catch him but everyone moved out the way so he fell in a heap on the floor. It's a good thing he was so pissed, otherwise he would have really felt it. Anyway, I looked over to him and gave everyone the nod like "he's not dead", and we carried on until he regained consciousness and decided to join in again.
Ben Ottewell plays Cork tomorrow
