It's Kirk Lake Week. His Rufus Wainwright biography is available any day now. Published in hardcover in the UK and as a trade paperback in Canada and Australia. It's the full story of Rufus but it also follows the careers of his parents and sister. Read how Loudon Wainwright changed the face of Hollywood comedy... No, really. He did. To ease himself in to a slightly more active week than he is used to dealing with Lake has answered our popular Happy Shopper questionnaire. A format that he himself devised. So, no trick questions then...
1) What was the last electrical appliance you bought?
A printer. It was cheaper to buy a whole new printer than buy a colour and a b/w ink cartridge for my old one. The assistant didn't seem to think that was as ridiculous as I did.
2) How many shoes do you own?
5 pairs and one odd flip-flop. My favoured Reef flip-flops: it seems only one returned from my last holiday but I am keeping it just in case the other is only in temporary hiding.
3) Thinking about only what you are wearing now and including your watch, jewellery and glasses if you wear them, how much would it cost me to get dressed up just like you? And where would I have to go to get the look?
Jeans - Levis 501, £20 - second-hand// Shirt - Hilditch and Key £45 - sale (My daughter informs me that these are the only shirts Karl Lagerfeld wears and he bulk buys them)/ Cord jacket - Nicole Fahri £20 second-hand/// Glasses - A high street optician can't remember which one, about 200 approx 5 years ago (no wonder I can no longer see through them)/// Shoes - Bally driving shoes £40 used/// Watch - Rolex 1961 manual Oysterdate $1000 - US dealer.
4) What are you going to be eating for dinner tonight?
Tofu stir fry with rice noodles - meat is murder!
5) What is the most amount you have ever spent on a bottle of wine or other alcoholic beverage and when and where was it?
I seem to remember $30 cocktails at some point.
6) What and where is your favourite shop?
The gift shop at the Science Museum or any second-hand bookshop that doesn't catalogue all of its stock on ABE.
7) How do you get around town?
My silver car, tube, foot - anything but the bus
8) Where is your favourite place to holiday?
Pembrokeshire, Palm Springs or the Kennedy Space Center (although I would like to go to the actual Kirk Lake in Michigan one day)
The picture above shows the actual Kirk Lake, Cass County, Michigan
(discover even more about kirk lake at his website kirklake.net)