Steve’s interview

What three adjectives would you use to describe yourself?
Eccentric, eclectic and energetic!

What are your greatest achievements?
Managing to make a career out of playing the violin, and having two teenage children who I can still relate to.

What’s your favourite smell?
Basil.

What’s your favourite work of art?
Difficult….Today I might say “Christ of St John of the Cross” by Salvador Dali – or anything by MC Escher.

What book would you like everyone to read?
“The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams.

What website would you like everyone to visit? Why?
Mine; www.stevebingham.co.uk – because I want to share my music with everyone, and I’d also like most of them to book me for a concert as well!!

What is your favourite sound?
The call of the curlew.

If you were an animal, what animal do you think you would be?
My daughter thinks I would be a koala bear!

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time?? If I get any - birdwatching and cycling.

How many languages do you speak and why?
English and music; because I’m English and play music!

What would heaven be like if you were in charge?
Very noisy – because there would be lots of music!

When and where are/were you happiest?
On stage, performing.

Something you are never without
My PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)– with a memory as bad as mine, it’s the only way I keep functioning!

What is your most appealing habit?
Acting 20-something while being 40-something!

And your least appealing habit?
Being a computer nerd.

What do you like/dislike most about your appearance?
I like my eyes and dislike most of the rest of myself!

What music did you inherit from your parents? What music would you like to pass on to the next generation?
I inherited a love of classical music from my parents. I would like to pass on the enjoyment of listening to as wide a variety of music as possible: There is always more to discover…..

What music do you enjoy listening to/playing most?
Pretty well anything between Corelli and Coldplay!

What did you dream of being when you were younger?
A violinist.

If you could pass one law that was guaranteed to be enacted what would it be?
Since all the idealist, but facile, “ban guns”, “ban fossil fuels” type answers would create more problems than they solved I’m going to go for the rather more eccentric “ban flip-flops”.....

What lesson of life would you like to pass on to people younger than yourself?
Keep in touch with your friends.

If a young person asked you for advice about becoming a musician what would you say to them?
Never compromise.

How would you like to be remembered?
As an enterprising violinist who tried to pass on his enthusiasm for music to as many people as possible.

If I hadn’t been a musician I would probably have been a ......
Computer nerd (or perhaps I already am….).

What more do you want to achieve?
An almost endless list: Record more CDs; write or arrange lots more music; travel to parts of the globe I’ve not visited; build my own eco-house; solve all global problems…….

Who is the living person you most admire?
Peter Gabriel.

Which people have been most influential in your life?
My father (who encouraged my musical interests), Lawrence Farbrother (my first violin teacher), Michael Bochmann (the teacher who introduced me to string quartets), Brenda (my wife), Jason Carter (a guitarist friend who introduced me to the joys of improvisation) www.jasoncarter.net, Steve Lawson (a bass guitarist who introduced me to live looping technology) www.steve-lawson.co.uk.

Who has been the best teacher you have ever had?
Lawrence Farbrother: My first violin teacher. Although I have had far more experienced and qualified teachers, Lawrence was the one who managed to kindle my interest in the violin and get me through the difficult early years. He also had the humility to pass me on to a more experienced teacher when he felt I needed it – not something everyone would have done.

What lessons have you learned about life?
Keep breathing.

If you could right one wrong that was done in the past, what would it be?
Limiting this to my own life, it would have been making time to see more of my maternal grandfather before he died.

If you could travel back in time where would you go and why?
I wouldn’t – I’d go forwards!

What question would you have liked me to ask you?
Do you know any good viola player jokes?

And your answer?
Yes!

Note: Viola players- both professional, or in my case, amateur - get used to the fact that we are the butt of endless jokes about us. To get an idea of what they are like google “viola jokes” or visit sites such as www.mit.edu/~jcb/jokes/viola.html