To kick off the blog to my new website, and as a supplement to the ‘About Me’ section, I thought I’d share ten things about myself that you probably don’t know:

I was named after the French novelist Guy de Maupassant; see the picture above. I’m still working on the moustacheMy first memory is of the smell of the carpet in the Dominion Theatre on Tottenham Court RoadMy nose has been broken twice – both times because someone has hit me; hence why it often looks a bit bent in photographsI don’t own a Kindle or any type of e-reader; I much prefer real books. In fact at the time of writing, I don’t own a laptop, tablet, ipod or smart phone etc. I must confess technology doesn’t much excite me. My one concession is a blu-ray playerI’ve read The Odyssey in the original Ancient Greek (benefits of a classical education)I once met Russell Crowe in the lobby of the Swiss Hotel in Quito, Ecuador. We chatted briefly… and I had absolutely no idea who he was – though in my defence this was before GladiatorMy favourite animal is the camel, I guess because they plod on through the desert but always reach their destination in the end… rather like myselfI don’t own a suit. I’d be perfectly happy if I got through my life without changing this state of affairs. Nor do I own any ‘proper’ shoes – only boots and trainersAbove the door to my office are the words ‘Potest ex casa magnus vir expire’ – ‘Even a great man can come from a cabin’ (Seneca)I have two ambitions: 1) to see The Ring at Bayreuth 2) to visit all fifty US States; so far I’ve been to sixteen of them. Actually, I have a third – to witness the test detonation of a nuclear bomb, though I doubt I’ll ever to fulfill this one!