The 5-minute Interview: John Maclean, musician

'Nobody should be homeless in this day and age: it's devastating'

Maclean, 35, is the keyboard player for the Scottish band The Aliens. Formed in 2005 by former members of the Beta Band, The Aliens are signed to EMI. They are scheduled to perform at the Bulleit Sessions on 10 April at Maggie May's in Glasgow.

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Well, I'm in Liverpool at the moment so I'd probably be out walking around the record shops. I saw a few earlier that I'm planning on going back to.

A phrase I use far too often...

"Shut up Gordon". That's our lead singer, Gordon Anderson. He has a bit of a tendency to talk too much, so it's important I tell him when to shut up.

I wish people would take more notice of...

The homeless. Nobody should be homeless in this day and age. Walking around and seeing people on the streets is devastating.

The most surprising thing to happen to me was...

Becoming a musician. I always thought I was going to be an artist or a writer so it really crept up on me. I'd never really done the whole dancing in front of a mirror with a hairbrush thing.

A common misconception of me is...

That I can't play football. I'm probably not as good as I like to think I am but I hate that people automatically assume I'll be crap.

I am not a politician but...

I'd get out of Iraq. I know it's not as easy as that, but I think we should be spending more time on the Middle East peace process. All we're doing in Iraq and Afghanistan is creating more terrorists.

I'm good at...

Drawing. It's been a hobby from a young age and I ended up at art college for six years so it was pretty full-on for a while.

I'm very bad at...

Spelling. There's no real reason or excuse – I just can't do it.

The ideal night out is...

Going for a meal with my girlfriend probably somewhere out in the West Highlands of Scotland.

In moments of weakness I...

Watch DVDs. It's not something that happens very often but when it does I just try and block everything out. Luckily, the majority of the time I watch DVDs it won't be out of weakness.

You know me as a musician but in a truer life I'd have been...

A painter – it'd be a beautiful life. I really like the idea of there being no cables involved, which can be a big problem as a musician. There's always something to trip over or break but for a painter it's just oil and canvas.

The best age to be is...

I'm just looking forward to getting older in general. The older I get the more comfortable I feel. I think you definitely get wiser and grow in confidence.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

I suppose just be positive. Positivity and optimism can go a long way.

John Hall