#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?

This is the kind of question I would usually give a different answer to with every minute that passes. Imagine you ask the question at 4PM I’d say Elliott Smith, but at 4:01PM I might have changed my mind and say JJ Cale, only to change my mind again at 4:02 PM and suggest Sparklehorse and so on.

But today is your lucky day. Because I have been thinking about this question for the past 15 minutes and only one band comes to mind. The whole world would be much better off if Withered Hand were a huge star. People would finally have a decent hero to look up to. You’d get into an elevator and maybe ‘California’ would be on the speakers (where are the speakers in an elevator BTW, and how do the cables work? Are they like extremely long and do they unwind if you go to the top floor?). People would share his songs on Facebook and magazines would have interesting interviews to publish. Man, that would be something, wouldn’t it?

So yeah, check Withered Hand out.

PS. Twenty minutes, and I’m still thinking the same thing.

#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?

I’m having a hard time deciding whether to make your readers weep or laugh. Doing this kind of questionnaire is a huge responsibility. So let me propose a combination. First look at ‘The Corner’, the amazing mini-series David Simon made right before he started working on The Wire. It’s as amazing as The Wire itself, but less people have seen it so it is much cooler to suggest.

And then after that, have a look at episode 18 of season 4 of Frasier. One time I almost laughed myself to death while watching this (I was eating chips, then started laughing, then swallowed, then laughed more and forgot to swallow and… Well, things got ugly…). Anyways, it’s as funny as TV gets. Here’s the climax scene…

#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE BOOK STORE (OK, PROBABLY AMAZON) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?

Anything by John Williams. If you’re feeling kind of lonely and are starting to suspect your life is going nowhere, ‘Stoner’ is the book that will finally convince you you’re right.

If on the other hand you dream of adventures and becoming a real hero (the kind that don’t shave and have dirt under their finger nails), ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ is the perfect book at the perfect time.

And if you feel like learning something about a cool era in history and weep along with a male world leader who wears a dress to work, ‘Augustus’ is your thing.

#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?

Hmmm. I’m afraid there isn’t one website I would really miss if it were to disappear tomorrow. I might miss your internet radio a bit, and maybe eldiario.es, undoubtedly the best Spanish newspaper. Of course Hotmail would suck as well as I would have to open a new email account and gather around all my contacts etc. But like, really miss them? Nope, sorry.

#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.

Sit in the sun at least 30 minutes a day. Not walking, not running, not working. Just sit and feel the sun.

My apologies to everyone who lives in a place that isn’t sunny. In their case my advice is: go south.

OK folks, there you have it. 5 things that Lieven thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you turn off your computer and go find yourself a corner of sunshine, maybe go follow A Singer Of Songs on Twitter or give him a like on Facebook or probably best of all… go check out his Bandcamp page.