Swan Song – Mike Skinner

The Streets/The D.O.T. man shares his ideal final day alive.

How would you spend your last day alive? The Streets’ mastermind Mike Skinner would be worrying about his life insurance.

Where would you like to wake up?

It would be home actually. I was thinking sorta Park Lane, but home in Highgate.

What would you like to achieve on your last day?

If it was armageddon then there would be nothing really to achieve. If it was simply my demise then I would have to sort out my life insurance, which I’ve been trying to sort out for three years. If longer than a day then I would probably work hard as I would be aware of the state of things I leave behind creatively. I would probably have to turn to a lot of drugs – heroin level painkillers, all legal obviously. I don’t condone anything illegal.

How would you spend the afternoon?

I would obviously be in a good place chemically, the synapses would be content. I would play with my kids. I don’t think  I would have time to watch  anything by Ingmar Bergman. Bergman would suddenly feel like not that good a director if I only had a few hours.

You host a last supper. Who’s coming?

I have quite a big family so all my cousins, my two sisters and my brother. Then there’s five people who I work with and they would be there.

What are you eating?

I would gorge…I mean I would EAT. There would be some kind of Mexican happening; Tacos and those deep fried jalapenos with the cream  cheese in them. Then I would  go to Dominos. The Meateor. Then to the Indian menu. Nothing creative, just calories.

What would be your biggest regret?

The life insurance thing would be all I would think about. I don’t think you would do anything differently really. I don’t regret anything.

What is the last song you want to hear?

I would want another listen of ‘A Boy Named Sue’ by Johnny Cash. I would probably have ‘The Life Aquatic’ on in the background. It makes me feel warm inside. Oh, and all the Roger Moore James Bonds.

What would your deathbed confession be?

I don’t think I would have any, I truly mean that.

What would your final words be?

That guy who died filming Gladiator [Oliver Reed]. He’d had like a bottle of vodka, twelve pints and twelve whiskeys and stumbled out of the bar and said it was the food. Probably say it something like that.

How are you going to die?

Just loads and loads of painkillers. I’ve witnessed two incidents of childbirth and people rightfully so go into it without a sense of dignity and pride and actually they just end up doing the drugs. That would be the story of my death.

Who would you like to meet at the Pearly Gates of Heaven?

I’m really fascinated by the interwar periods. I would like to meet my dad’s dad. Not for emotional silliness, but cos of when he lived. The Edwardian period, so much happened.

Describe your vision of Heaven.

I’m constantly inflicted with a sense of needing to do something and I think Heaven wouldn’t have that. It’s not really what it looks like either but what it feels like, cos you’re not you in Heaven are you? I think you would check all your baggage at the door. In without experience or prejudice.

If you could be resurrected the next day then what would you come back as?

I’m not keen on dogs or cats really. I’m not keen on my brother’s cat and I didn’t really like the dog we had as a kid. But being a dog or a cat would be good.

 

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.