Richard Butt recently stepped down from editing Media Isle of Man’s newspapers and websites after 15 years in the role.
He is now our contributing editor, responsible for special publications and business and farming coverage.
In his spare time, he goes hill walking, reads books about British Leyland and classic cars and complains about apostrophe misuse.
In the late 80s, he sang in select Douglas venues with a band called the Slimees.
Here is his Top 10 cultural or artistic choices:
The rumbling bass at the start makes the hairs on my neck stand up.
It features mass murder but includes a line about deodorant: ‘Right Guard will not help you here.’
It’s really about complacent Americans and their lives compared with people suffering Pol Pot’s reign.
I love all Bowie. This track on Hunky Dory (which is actually a cover version) is so optimistic.
Can anything be beautifully unsympathetic?
A song about someone who bores others.
Hardly normal pop material but wonderful writing.
Appeals to my sense of the ridiculous.
A song about dancing underwater.
‘You get some flippers for your feet and a little bit of tube through with to breathe.
‘Now you wear a mask to cover your face, twist and jive all over the place.’
5) It’s Raining Men, Weather Girls
Joyous. Perfect voices, production, lyrics.
6) I Claudius
Recently repeated. Exquisite acting and storytelling.
7) Victoria Wood
Pretty much everything she did.
Just a genius. I read her biography last year.
Pages before her death I was in tears because I knew what was coming.
Weird choice. Created by Lambie Nairn. The 2s do all sorts of things.
Clever, funny, original. Never bettered. I think they’re art.
9) How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie.
Perhaps a self-help cliche. But it’s so good at stating and reinforcing what should be obvious, but which rarely is for many people, including me.
10) Citroen DS
If ever a car was a work of art, it’s this. I would have one in my living room if I could.