Question & Answer Session With Benjamin Zephaniah

Many of you here might be familiar with Benjamin Zephaniah (if your not he's a vegan , poet, musician and activist). I really admire him he refused a knighthood from the Queen on the basis of the history (a bloody one at that too in his view) of British imperialism and it's legacy with it's lineage that leads directly to the royal family. If you haven't read any of his poetry (really sharp and acute observations of humanity in all its capacity) you are missing out. He has put his poetry to music too which is fantastic.

Anyway here is the said Q & A article that was published today in Guardian newspaper.


Q&A: Benjamin Zephaniah


Benjamin Zephaniah, 53, was born in Birmingham. He left full-time education at 13 and by 15 was well-known in the area for his dub poetry. At 22, he moved to London and published his first collection, Pen Rhythm. He is current poet-in-residence at Keats House in Hampstead and this year he has published his autobiography, My Story, the non-fiction Kung Fu Trip and a children's book, When I Grow Up. He lives in Lincolnshire.

When were you happiest?
In 1985, in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, sitting on the veranda with my grandmother, people-watching, and listening to poetry and local gossip.
What is your greatest fear?
Growing old alone.
What is your earliest memory?
My first day at school. I was trying to be cool and fit in, but my twin sister cried all day.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Going on Celebrity Mastermind.
Aside from a property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?
My ex-wife.
What is your most treasured possession?
My body, and my 100-year-old typewriter.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Sometimes I wish I wasn't so recognisable, so I could observe people like I used to.
If you could bring something extinct back to life, what would you choose?
The cave lion. I like the idea of a European lion that spends a lot of time indoors because it's chilly outside.
What was the best kiss of your life?
I was at an Aston Villa match and when Villa scored this stranger of a supermodel kissed me. I was waiting for Villa to score again. But we lost.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Juliet Stevenson. She told me she performed one of my poems at an event. Now, if she got the rhythm and flow to do that, she can do me.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I like ironing my socks.
What is the worst thing anyone's said to you?
"I have no choice but to give you a custodial sentence."
Cat or dog?
I don't believe in discrimination when it comes to animals.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
To my mother for having to bail me out when I was young. And the half a crown I took from her purse.
Which living person do you most despise, and why?
Stephen Donald Black. White supremacist, founder of racist website Stormfront, member of US Nazi party and so-called Grand Wizard of the KKK. Do I have to say why?
What is the worst job you've done?
I tested whistles for the police.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Not having children.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
The (short) time when I was a bit of a male chauvinist pig.
How often do you have sex?
This is a secret between me and my internet service provider.
What is the closest you've come to death?
In the middle of a shoot-out in a club. I hid in a speaker box. Three bullets hit the box but missed me.
Where would you most like to be right now?
Birmingham. Best city in the country, with the best curries, the best canals, parks, hip-hop and reggae.