QUICKFIRE with singer James Blunt

Singer on parties in Ibiza, living on tour buses and wishing he was taller Where is home? For the next 18 months, a tour bus. Career plan B? If I wasn’t a musician, I’m pretty sure I’d still be in the army. Who would play you in a movie of your life? I’d love to say Tom Cruise, but we all know it would be Steve Coogan. Biggest bugbear? That it is safer to walk on the roads in London than risk the dog-poo minefield of the pavements. As a child you wanted to be… Taller. When I was 14, my mum bought me size eight shoes. I still haven’t grown into them. Earliest memory? Jumping into a public swimming pool and realising mid-air that I still had all my clothes on. Your best quality? The ability to laugh at myself. And your worst? I’ve taken the p*** out of myself for so long now that maybe I’ve forgotten to be proud of what I do. Last meal on earth? Twelve spicy buffalo wings from Hot Wings Cafe in Los Angeles and a Corona, please. Dream dinner-party guests? Graham Norton for the humour; Jon Snow for the current affairs; Ed Sheeran for the debauchery; Keira Knightley for the obvious; Carrie Fisher for some madness, and Marie Colvin for the war stories. Secret skill? I can fly! I got my pilot’s licence aged 16, before I could legally drive a car. Starstruck moment? I’ve met Bill Clinton a couple of times. He makes you feel like the most important person in the room. Big break? Being signed by Elton John’s management firm in 2002. Favourite tipple? Sipsmith gin. Hangover cure? Domino’s pizza with pepperoni, onion and sweetcorn – and two cans of Coke so that it doesn’t look like I’m on my own. What did you have for breakfast today? Some kind of green smoothie. Top of your bucket list? To play London’s Wembley Arena and the Super Bowl in the US. Biggest inspiration? The volunteer doctors of Médecins Sans Frontières, who I first saw in action in Kosovo in 1999. They were ahead of everyone, helping the people who really struggle during wartime – civilians. Biggest extravagance? I bought a tuk tuk in Bangkok, Thailand, and had it shipped to my home in Ibiza. Your perfect day? A lie-in followed by a swim in the sea, then lunch with friends on the beach, which turns into a sunset party. Worst job you’ve ever done? I was a sandwich packer. Last film that made you cry? Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Where would you time travel to? For music, 2006 was such a great year. Probably the best in history. First record you bought? Diesel and Dust by the Australian rock band Midnight Oil. Favourite book? I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Biggest regret? I have received five Grammy nominations but never won. Celebrity crush? Ryan Gosling. He’s so good-looking, I could just eat him. Happiness is… A better measure of success than fame or fortune. James’s new album The Afterlove is out now on Atlantic Records. His UK tour will begin in November, james blunt.com