Q&A with Jeremy Deller

(Image credit: TBC)

By Harriet Lloyd Smith

last updated 14 September 2022

in Features

What was the first thing you thought about when you woke up this morning?

That's a dangerous question to ask a man.

What do you wear to work?

Jeans etc.

What do you have for breakfast?

I tend to skip it.

Do you read a newspaper/watch television/click online?

All 3 , television increasingly less

How do you get to work?

I walk about 8 feet , but also work for me recently has entailed travelling to Manchester , the US and so on. I go where I am wanted.

What time do you first check your inbox?

Usually before 9am

Where are your desk and chair from?

The desk is the small formica dining table I used as a child , the chair is a second hand eames leather number.

If you could save only one item from your office/studio what would it be?

My Roxy Music poster.

Do you listen to music whilst you work? If so, what are you listening to at the moment?

The Music of Radio 4.

Where would your ideal lunch be and who would it be with?

The Trevi on Highbury Corner with Sherlock Holmes.

Summarise in three words your work ethos?

Keep on going.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Disorganisation.

What do you think is the most overrated virtue?

Perfectionism

Is there any single person that particularly inspires you?

Neil Young.

Where do you feel most inspired?

Junk Markets.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

To be able to survive as an artist without having to make objects.

How do you switch off?

cycling , alcohol the usual I imagine.

What did you want to be when you were a child?

A Historian or a member of Slade.

What excites you/terrifies you on a daily basis?

emails/paperwork.

Would you like to be your own assistant?

Yes, I'd get to watch a lot of youtube.

Is there anything about retirement you look forward to?

I've never thought about it, I'd be poor and bored if I did.

If you could choose to come back as person or thing, who or what would it be?

A cat.

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