Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?
I would love to meet Peter Gabriel. Not because he is famous, but because there are three things about him that have stayed with me over the years.
The first is his music. I loved his 1986 album So, particularly the song Big Time. It came out around the time I was beginning my working life, and I have returned to it many times since.
Big Time is a wonderfully ironic song about someone leaving a small town in pursuit of ambition, wealth and status. Everything has to be bigger: the house, the possessions, the reputation. It satirises the assumption that a bigger life is necessarily a better life.
I’ve never been opposed to ambition, but I’ve always wanted my work to be meaningful rather than simply a means of accumulating wealth or status. The song has been a recurring reminder to think about what success actually means.
The second reason is Gabriel’s commitment to world music. He co-founded WOMAD in 1982 and later established Real World Records, helping musicians from different cultures reach wider audiences.
What interests me is what he chose to do with his success. Rather than concentrating entirely on his own career, he invested considerable energy in creating opportunities for others. There is a difference between using success to make yourself more visible and using it to make other people more visible.
The third reason is a story I heard many years ago. An Australian chauffeur who had driven numerous celebrities was asked who was the nicest person he had ever driven. Without hesitation, he said Peter Gabriel.
I’ve never forgotten that story. Fame tells us how many people know your name. Character is often revealed in how you treat people who have no reason to be useful to you.
I’d love to ask Gabriel about the relationship between these three things. What inspired Big Time? Why did he become such a champion of other musicians? And what has shaped the person he has become?
But there’s something I’d like to tell him as well. Nearly forty years ago, he wrote a song about the pursuit of success. I was just beginning my working life. Since then, I’ve had several careers and learned a few things about what matters. His song has accompanied me through much of that journey, reminding me that making something of your life is not necessarily the same as making yourself important.
Which celebrity would you love to meet, and what would you talk about?
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