Name: Bryan Ferry

Born: September 26, 1945, in Washington, in County Durham, in the northeast of England. Newcastle is the nearest big city.

First memory: Going with my father over to his garden. He had a lovely garden where he used to grow vegetables. That's where he'd keep his pigeons. He had racing pigeons, which is like a hobby for people.

Biggest thrill as a child: The first concert I went to. I was 10 years old. It was the first rock 'n' roll tour in Europe. Bill Haley and the Comets. I won two front row seats from a quiz on a radio station. The quiz was, "Which of the following songs do you think Bill Haley likes the most?" And I remember the answer was "See Ya Later, Alligator." My name was read out over the radio. It was cool.

Did you sit at the back or front of the class? It varied. Either the back or the front, depending on the year. I had good years and bad years. I was either in trouble or at the top of the class.

First record bought: It was an EP by the Charlie Parker Quintet with Miles Davis. The first single might have been "Badpenny Blues." I still have it. I learned every note from that record.

Last book read: An Agatha Christie novel with Hercule Poirot, The Blue Train Mystery. It was great. I bought the whole series, so I've got a lot to get through.

Last movie seen: It was 300. I quite liked it. Very highly stylized. I liked the fact that there weren't any movie stars in it.

Favorite sandwich: Ham and cheese, although there are few that are up against it. I like sandwiches to be thin. I don't like these thick American ones. There's a company called Pret-a-Manger, which is just starting now in America, that's very big in England. They do pretty good, small lunchtime sandwiches.

Favorite item of clothing: I like clothes that are old. Like this jacket. It's called horsehair. It's from a tailor called Johns & Pegg. I've had it since July, 1983. It's nice when things grow old with you.

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Have you ever been star struck? When? I suppose I was, once. I was in an elevator with Chuck Berry. I'd just come offstage at Radio City or somewhere, and I got in the elevator, covered in sweat, and I looked up and the guy next to me was Chuck Berry! He was carrying a McDonald's bag. I didn't know what to say. He didn't seem interested at all. It was sad because he's such a wonderful, unique artist. He's one of the inventors of rock 'n' roll, an incredible character. It was nice to see him.

What was the last good joke you heard? Tragedy is, I can never remember any. I laugh when I hear them, but I can never remember.

Previous jobs: I taught art, but also a lot of driving jobs around London. It was a great way to learn how the city works because there's no plan to it. I drove vans around and all sorts of things. I also worked as a lumberjack one summer in Scotland. I lived in a tent for a bit, then a barn. It was rough, but well-paid.

Favorite time of day: Sunset.

Hanging on my bedroom wall: There are some very nice prints from a Spanish magazine. It's just magazine covers, very attractive. In the country I have small pictures by early 20th century British artists.

Ideal vacation: To go to Amalfi in southern Italy. You just feel like you're on holiday when you reach the place. The sea is wonderful, and the cliffs are very dramatic. There's nothing else that people have to do except entertain the tourists and go fishing. And I love the food.

Hobbies: My main hobby is collecting. I like buying pictures and furniture. I like decorating the places where I live. It makes me happy when I live in beautiful surroundings. I'm a Libra. They like that kind of thing.

What's something that surprises people about you? Maybe that I'm shy, or quiet, or retiring -- is that the word? Given the nature of my job, that might surprise people.

Swear word you use too much: I swear far too much, but I come from the north of England, so it's to be expected. I'm a good all-around swearer.

What television show are you obsessed with right now? I never watch television, unless it's football -- either the American or British versions. My teams are Newcastle, where I was born, and Chelsea, where I've lived for the last 30 years.

Ambitions: Millions of things. I don't feel like I've done enough, that I want to do more. That's part of the creative instinct, the feeling that you've never done enough, that you want to do good work and do more of it.

If I could be any character from history: That's very difficult, because I'd want to be happy. I'm not sure if Shakespeare was happy particularly, but it would be quite nice to have his reputation.