The 5-minute Interview: Rob Swire, Musician

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Swire, 25, is lead vocalist of the drum and bass act Pendulum, originally from Perth, Western Australia. Their latest single, "Propane Nightmares" entered the charts at No 9, and they have just released an album, 'In Silico'. The video for "Propane Nightmares" is available as a free download on Xbox LIVE.

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

Playing an Xbox game. My favourite at the moment is Dead or Alive.

A phrase I use far too often is...

I don't think the phrase is suitable to be printed. I am a gentleman.

I wish more people would take more notice of...

Our current billboard featuring details of our new album.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was...

Becoming a bona fide musician and not ending up on the streets as a hobo busking for money as my parents predicted.

A common misperception of me is that...

That I am a complete and utter bastard. I am a nice bloke in reality.

I am good at...

Writing. I have a very strong passion for writing and I don't mean just musically. I worked on half of the publicity material for our album.

I am bad at...

Formulating sentences.

The ideal night out is...

We don't really have time to go out that much; most of our time is spent recording tracks in the studio.

In moments of weakness I...

Write music. I find that it is in these moments that I am in a better frame of mind to write lyrics. I am most creative at these times.

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

A rodent. Mostly because I like mousy girls but also people tend to identify with animals that look most like themselves. So I would say I would have been a rodent.

The best age to be is...

21. You have no ideal path that you are following; you're a free spirit and most likely to be living life to the full without worrying about the usual burdens.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is this:

Live for the moment. Don't hesitate; life is too short.

Lucy Chakaodza