These are a few of my favourite things: Stuart Cassells of Red Hot Chilli Pipers

Published on Thursday 16 October 2008 17:11

BOOK: THE EEJITS BY MATHEW FITT

My Favourite book as a boy was definitely The Twits by Roald Dahl. Mathew Fitt is a Scottish poet and author who translates books into Scots, and he has translated The Twits into The Eejits. I bought it last year and it's brilliant. Fitt's got a company called Itchy Coo publications which translates a whole heap of kids' books into Scots. The Eejits is a great translation, with lines like "Mr Eejit wis an eejit. He wis boarn an eejit. And noo at the graund auld age o sixty, he wis a bigger eejit than ever." Fitt uses great words like "honkin" and "mawkit" and "bowfin" and "manky"; it's so funny.

FILM: THE HURRICANE

This film is based on the true story of the boxer they called The Hurricane. Denzel Washinton plays him. He was poised to win the world championship in 1966 but got put in jail for a murder he didn't commit. There were all sorts of appeals; Muhammed Ali supported him and Bob Dylan's 1976 song, Hurricane, was written about it. He wasn't freed until 1988. I love the film because it's a brilliant true story but also because I saw it in Times Square in New York and it was the first time that I'd ever been there.

ALBUM: THE STORM BY MOVING HEARTS

Moving Hearts were a 1980s band who took the Irish uilleann pipes to an international market. Their lead piper, Davy Spillane, now plays for Riverdance. They had the same ambitions as we do – taking the pipes to a new audience – and really made people aware of what bagpipes can do; not many people have made a success of it, but Moving Hearts really did. They came up with a fresh sound for the uilleann pipes and became hugely popular. They were massive in Ireland and their new sound took them right across the world. Their album, The Storm, is definitely a favourite. I listen to it at least once a week – it's amazing.

&#149 A CD and DVD of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers' Blast tour will be released on 27 October. They play the Gaiety Theatre, Ayr, tonight, and the Albert Halls, Stirling, on 23 October. For more information, visit www.redhotchillipipers.co.uk