THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE QUESTIONNAIRE: Baynk

A case of mild-mannered engineering student by day, cool musician by night?

Two years ago Jock Nowell-Usticke – who performs as Baynk – was studying at Canterbury when he released his first single Sundae, an impressive slice of slinky slow-building electronica.

And on the back of that he was picked to play Laneway, had his follow-up Could You on Vice and now – with a bunch of other songs out there on Soundcloud including his new one Poolside – he is appearing at the Taranaki Womad.

Time for him to join the luminaries and answer a Famous Elsewhere Questionnaire . . .

The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .

Bon Iver’s Skinny Love or Re:Stacks have both had me “close” to tears on several occasions

Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .

Robbie Williams was my idol, I remember practicing the dance moves off his music videos naked in my living room (age 8, occurs slightly less often these days)

Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?

Jagger for the iconic dancing, Nirvana, Gaga, Jay-Z

If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .

Most probably something to do Chemical Engineering (what I studied at university for 4 years)

The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .

Sunset Lover by Petit Biscuit

You & Me (Flume Remix) by Disclosure

For myself, Poolside and What You Need which I wrote with my friend NÏKA

Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home...  

I have a sitar that I bought whilst on a high school exchange in India. I also have a metre tall statue of Elwood Blues from the blues brothers which my parents bought for me after I played him in a musical

The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .

Boring and techie but Making Music - 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers by Dennis DeSantis is great & helped me a lot. I haven’t read many autobiographies but Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run autobiography is my favourite so far.

If you could get on stage with anyone it would be?

Eminem

The three films you'd insist anybody watch because they might understand you better are . . .

Any James Bond film

Forest Gump

Closer w/ Jude Law, Natalie Portman etc.

The last CD or vinyl album you bought was  . . . (And your most recent downloads include...)

The last vinyl album (EP) I bought was Mura Masa’s Someday Somewhere

Most recent downloads are Big Sean – Moves, blackbear – make daddy proud and Louis the Child - Love Is Alive (feat. Elohim)

One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .

I’ll always make music no matter what the financial gains/losses are. I’d say Oasis – Wonderwall, despite being chronically overplayed round campfires by 14-25 year old dudes with little to no guitar experience, It’s still a beautiful song

The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .

I’m not a huge art guy, but some super simple abstract piece would suit me. Or a picture of a penguin. I’m obsessed with penguins

You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is of . . .

A penguin. I used to have one on the bottom of my foot (of a penguin) but it rubbed off and now I have none

David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all we've got . . .” You would spend them where and doing what?

RIP. I’d sell everything (bar music making essentials) and tour the world with my closest friends, playing shows in between seeing & doing everything humanly possible

And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”

I haven’t released an album but I have an EP coming in 2-3 months which won’t have any competition so I guess that will become my best regardless of how bad or good it is!

For details on Womad artists and booking information go here.