Instant Karma
Where pop and personal philosophy meet

Gaz Coombes

What is your full name?
Gareth Michael Coombes

What is your state of mind?
(Long pause). Relaxed... thoughtful... that's about it really.

Which footballer do you most identify with?
I don't really identify with any of them because they've got millions and millions of quid. I like old Davey Beckham, I think he's nice. I wouldn't say I identified with him, but he seems like a fair enough bloke.

What is pure evil?
Turkish Delight. That's evil. I've never come face to face with it, but I'm sure I wouldn't forget it if I did.

Do you practice Feng Shui?
Kind of, yeah. I think you do it subconsciously anyway. When you place things in a room naturally, how you want to be greeted by the room. I'm kind of into it.

When did you last lie to impress someone?
(Long, long pause) I don't remember. I'm sure I have but I can't remember. I probably do it in interviews all the time.

What embarrasses you?
I fell off stage the other day, that was embarrassing... but it was more funny. I would like to have seen it but I was the one who felt it.

Which came first: the chicken or the idea of chicken?
Hee, hee, hee! From God's point of view? I don't know, I'm sure they're the sort of thing that just came along, they're so horrible and ugly. They taste good, though.

Is the glass half empty or half full?
Half full... it depends on your state of mind.

How do you react when you see a nun?
A nun? Er, scream and tear my hair out and run away.

The new Millennium. Scared?
I don't know if we're all supposed to do something really mental. I haven't got Millennium fever.

Is death the end?
It's not the sort of thing I think about. I'm not a huge religious type, you know?
I used to go to church when I was a kid, but I haven't got a side of my brain that's tuned into that sort of thing. It would be interesting if there was - I don't know what I'd come back as.

Is there a God?
Sometimes I think there is and other times... I'm neither here nor there really.

Q - August 1999