Paolo Nutini - My London

Where do you stay in London?
I usually stay with friends in Greenwich. I like to be out of the busy part of London and just chill.

Where did you last go on holiday?
I went to St Lucia and it was beautiful. I ended up being a witness at somebody's wedding. I didn't know the people but we became friendly, and I thought it was a beautiful thing to be at their wedding. I lost their phone number, though, so if they read this, please get in touch with me.

What was the last gig you saw?
I went to see Sixto Rodriguez at the Barbican. It was great; his songs and his vocals are amazing.

What advice would you give a tourist?
Don't go to Harrods. You'll end up spending too much money. Check out the markets: Camden, Portobello and Sunday UpMarket at The Old Truman Brewery in Spitalfields.

Which London street do you like to shop on?
Denmark Street because it has some great music shops. I visit Vintage & Rare Guitars to get supplies for my guitar.

What's the best meal you've had in London?
I once had a meal at the Rockwell Restaurant in The Trafalgar hotel which was amazing. And Elements in Greenwich has lovely freshly made food.

What would you do as Mayor for the day?
I'd make sure that for that one day we would all be really happy, by getting everybody high and drunk. It would be a marijuana love fest.

What's your earliest London memory?
When I first came to London I bought a silver MacBook Pro. I was checking it out, while I was waiting for the DLR in Limehouse, when this guy tried to grab it off my lap. I held on to it, but there was a struggle for about five minutes, which ended with him running away and my laptop flying on to the tracks. I had to climb on to the tracks to get it back.

What would be on your tombstone?
Stop dear children and cast an eye, as you are now so once was I/As I am now, so you must be, therefore prepare to follow me/Prepare for death, make no delay, I and my bloom were snatched away/When destiny called, I left my friend with pain in my heart. I read it once in a book and I think it's pretty cool.

What are you most afraid of?
Not getting to say goodbye to somebody. I travel on aeroplanes a lot and that provides me with fear, because if something happened I wouldn't be able to call anyone. I often think, 'Maybe I should call somebody before it's too late.'

What are your guilty pleasures?
Nineties dance hits like 'I like to move it' by Real2Real, or 'Boom Boom Boom' from The Outhere Brothers. I'm also a sucker for Disney songs. 'When you wish upon a star' from Pinocchio always makes me cry, and 'One Jump Ahead' from Aladdin. When I was little I wanted to be Aladdin and have a monkey like Apu that I'd dress in identical clothes. Actually, I still want that.

What animal would you most like to be?
A cheeky little monkey, because they seem so free and they're not really right in the head. They just have fun and they have this 'whatever' attitude that I like.

What was the last album you bought?
Massive Attack's first album, Blue Lines.

What would you save from a fire?
A baby. Oh, you mean in my own house? No babies involved? Then it would probably be the framed photo on my mantelpiece of me, my dad and my grandad at my first communion. I could replace everything else, but I lost the negative of that photo.

What are you up to at the moment?
My album was released in June and it's doing really well. I'm touring and playing festivals at the moment and I'm feeling really creative, so I'm working on some new ideas with my band as well.

Who'syourhero?
Jean-Claude Van Damme. Every day I have a crack at the 'split and punch' he does in Bloodsport. I put on a black tank top and have a little Jean-Claude Van Damme moment. It centres me.

Have you ever stolen anything?
When I was a kid I stole one of those make-it-yourself toy aeroplanes. Actually, I stole quite a lot of them.

Paolo Nutini's new single 'Coming Up Easy' is out on 10 August 2009. His album Sunny Side Up is out now.