Name: Phil Pickett.
Profession? I’m a professional songwriter and musician. I’m best known for starting up the band Sailor in the 70’s and being part of Culture Club in the 80’s: I co-wrote the songs Karma Chameleon and It’s a Miracle. I’m still involved with both bands, and a number of other activities, including doing the music for the latest M&S campaign. The Sailor song Glass of Champagne was recently voted Guilty Secrets number one in Q Magazine, so I’ve finally achieved something that my teenage son thinks is quite cool. Over the years I’ve worked with everyone from Take That to Paul McCartney, Blue and Malcolm McClaren. The latter never paid me, but I have been dining out on a number of McClaren-related anecdotes ever since.
Are you local? I’ve been living here a year. I had a spell in Spain, but I grew sick of the heat, playing golf all the time, and all that recreational drinking. When you move back to your country at first it’s difficult to choose where to go: however breakfast at Bill’s with Dave and Mary, some close friends we were staying with, was the deciding factor in choosing Lewes.
What do you like about the place? Its congeniality and Bohemian nature, which suits me as a writer and artist. And the fact that it still feels like England here: it hasn’t been taken over by multinational chains… yet!
Is there anything you don’t like about it? I was going to say that there wasn’t a cinema, but they do show good films in the All Saints. Legendary lyricist Don Black, once told me that all you need to live a long and happy life is a Chinese restaurant, a Post Office and a cinema all within walking distance, and Lewes pretty much has all those.