What was the first record you bought, and what was the most recent?

Slade's Mama Weer All Crazee Now and the most recent was a bootleg Bob Dylan eight-CD box set Genuine Live 1966.

What is the best record you have ever bought on impulse?

John Chibadura's $5000.

Where do you most like listening to music and why?

In the car. If I'm on my own I can play it very loud and bellow along.

What is the first piece of music you remember hearing on the radio?

Not sure. But it would be something like The Runaway Train or The Laughing Policeman.

Which song do you wish you had written?

Bob Dylan's Chimes of Freedom.

Is there any kind of music that you cannot stand listening to?

Yes, opera and heavy metal. Both give me bellyache.

Which country's music, or musical genre, do you most wish had a wider audience?

Haiti's.

If you could be a member of any band (past, present or future), which would it be and why?

Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band for the sheer exuberance and enthusiasm of their performances.

And to be on stage with Springsteen, who clearly still loves playing rock and roll. But I would also love to have been in The Clash around 1979 when they were at their most exciting and compelling.

For me, they were the last word in rock and roll bands.

Which current artist do you most admire?

Dolly Parton.

You have won four Sony Radio Awards - where do you keep them?

Sorry, boring answer, but on the mantlepiece in my attic den.

Apart from your show on Radio 3, what other projects are you in the middle of or looking forward to?

More global current affairs documentaries for Crossing Continents on Radio 4.