Seth Lakeman: music and me

The first record I bought was...

Randy Newman's Land of Dreams or Little Criminals. My dad was a real Randy Newman fan. The tongue-in-cheek songs relate quite well to younger people.

The first gig I went to was...

Ned's Atomic Dustbin. They are grunge in style. But the one that really sticks in my mind is Stephane Grappelli, the jazz violinist, about a year before he died. I was just 13. He came on stage in his slippers.

My favourite album is...

Paul Simon's Graceland. It's uplifting; a great balance of world music and pop.

But my parents always liked...

Seventies folk rock such as Fairport Convention, Paul Brady, Nic Jones and The Chieftains.

I couldn't marry someone who liked...

Marmite or full-on proper techno music.

On stage I like to wear...

A black Gap T-shirt. I can't wear woolie jumpers because I sweat so much.

I'd love to perform with...

Kate Bush because she is a genius. Paul Brady would be a dream come true because of his voice. Shawn Colvin because I sing along to her records all the time. It would be better to do it in person.

One thing that must change in the music industry is...

More real songwriting and real creative process in music, and less manufactured music.

A great album cover is...

Anything by Pink Floyd: The Division Bell with its double face, and the refracting prism cover of Dark Side of the Moon.

On my iPod I listen to...

Bruce Hornsby "The Valley Road" .

If I could have written any song it would have been...

"Bee's Wing" by Richard Thompson. It is a beautifully told story about a gypsy girl.

The worst song I have heard is...

East 17 "Stay Another Day". It was made even more annoying because it represented a memory of my dark days almost 10 years ago. Any song on Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits. It is like some kid ranting at you.

Seth Lakeman's new single, 'King and Country', is out now on Relentless Records