Toby Shippey, 39, is a member of Salsa Celtica, a world music fusion band who are playing at the Queens Hall tomorrow
1 What is your earliest memory of Edinburgh? I can remember the old milk float that delivered milk to our house – it was Clydesdale horse powered. I can also remember my first day at St Leonard's nursery school which is pretty mad be
cause I now live on St Leonard's Street.
2 What are your memories of school? Playing solo trumpet in front of Sciennes Primary assembly and in all the orchestras at James Gillespie's High School.
3 Where is your favourite place in Edinburgh and why? I love the golf at Bruntsfield Links – you should go and find out for yourself.
4 What are the best things about Edinburgh? It's compact, has great night life and you can live like a king here without much money.
5 What would you change about the city? I'd make cabbies study the teachings of the Dalai Lama on one day of the year. I'd also turn Cafe Graffiti, The Venue, The Bongo Club and the Belle Angel back into great music venues.
6 Describe a perfect Edinburgh day/night. I'd have breakfast and go to Peckham's for coffee, the papers and to watch the world go by. I'd then head to the Pear Tree before going to my studio to play music. I'd visit The Shore bar for some food and a bloody mary before going to the Cafe Royal for some oysters. A game of tennis at the Meadows might happen as might a curry at Kebab Mahal. After a film at the Cameo cinema, I'd play some music at a folk session and enjoy the free drink.
7 Which sports interest you? In my head, I have mastered nearly all sports and my friends don't understand that I really am Tiger Woods, Andy Murray, Kenny Dalglish, Alain Baxter, Jocky Wilson, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allan Wells, David Wilkie, Steve Ovett, Eddy Merckx and Henrik Larsson rolled into one humble musician.
8 What's your most embarrassing moment? After a gig at the Jazz Bar, I got so drunk that I fell asleep cycling home and woke up flying through the air and then crashed in front of students who had been at my gig earlier.
9 What's your greatest achievement? When running the Lizard Lounge club at Cafe Graffiti I think I managed to go out to the pub every night for a year.
10 Sum up Edinburgh in three words. Up, down, up.
The full article contains 426 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
