KEY POINTS:
Host of tonight's NZ Music Awards and C4's Roll the Dai, (Wednesdays, 9pm)
How are you feeling?
I'm really excited. It's a big event and it's on C4 an hour after. Although it's loose and fun, there's very little margin for error so I'm, of course, nervous.
Last year Oliver Driver and Jaquie Brown hosted the awards together. How come you get no wing-woman?
Is there a smaller budget? Yeah they've halved it because I'm literally half the size of Oli Driver.
Will you be using the same mic stand?
Definitely not, unless they're going to gaffer-tape the mic halfway down it.
You've been known to make an entrance on a Segway. What mode of transport will you use tonight?
Possibly cheerleaders. There's definitely going be a bit of a bang to kick the awards off. I'm going to bring a lot of bizarre dance moves.
What will you wear?
I'm known for my bizarre costumes so I'm going to be bringing those to the floor. But I do have a very respectable suit that has three pieces.
What's your pre-awards beauty routine?
I'll get my hair done because I'm quite a hirsute guy. I have to get it done regularly or it goes into a weird, middle-aged woman's bouffant. I like my moisturisers so I'll probably do a bit of moisturising. At these events they usually throw a makeup artist at you so I'll try and get my makeup on without looking too much like Boy George.
Any backstage rituals?
I do like to have a couple of beers. Vodka and coke is such a bogan drink but you get a bit of sugar in you as well as a small amount of alcohol. I'm actually quite quiet backstage before I go on. It's that "girding your loins", especially for a big gig like this where I've got to remember a few cues. I'll definitely be enjoying my drink at the after-party though.
The hosts have a tradition of taking the piss. Is that your style?
I always take the piss. That's where a bit more of the off-the-cuff stuff happens, usually from spotting someone in the crowd doing something silly, and although there's your good old punters coming along, it's quite an industry event so people don't mind inside jibes. I'm quite good at getting away with saying those kinds of things because I'm nice and I like the people I'm talking about. I don't pick on people I don't like.
Who would you like to see win an award?
OpShop because they've come out with a really awesome album.
How musically-inclined are you?
I've always done a bit of DJing on the side. I do Tuesday Drive on bFM. I've played the piano since I was young, although I'm not as good as I would have liked. I love music, especially Kiwi music. I grew up with good Kiwi musicians from the Black Seeds in Wellington so I've always been exposed to good music. The only thing I regret is that I can't sing to save my life. And I'm Welsh. A Welshman should be able to sing, at least in a choir. I just put the choir off.
Who are you looking forward to hanging out with at the after-party the most?
Johnny Devlin, the iconic rock man. And the Mint Chicks. I reckon they could have a bit of a go this year.
What VIP perks are you looking forward to most?
I've always been a fan of a goodie bag. I don't know if the goodie bags are regimented in order of who's more important or not but I just quite like the perk of hosting a prestigious event like this. And a lot of hanging out in the flash little back room where all the booze is free. That's such a Kiwi response. For the free booze!
If you had pursued music seriously, which award category would you have been nominated in?
Gospel. I could imagine playing piano and singing with an enormous black woman to be honest. Or funk. I like the idea of flopping out a bit of dance while I'm playing.
