POP LIVES: Willie White,artistic director and CEO of the Dublin Theatre Festival
What are you reading?I have two books on the go at the moment: Hawthorn Child by Keith Ridgway and What Money Can't Buy by Michael Sandel.
The first is a deftly written set of surreal stories with a cast of doleful and shady characters and a band of pompous wolves, and the second is about how market values are encroaching on places they probably don’t belong.
What was the last film you saw, and what was your verdict?The Dark Night Rises. I'm sorry to say I found it rather long and ultimately disappointing. I'd say that sales of [the liqueur] Fernet Branca are up, though.
You have a golden ticket to Eason. What magazine is first on your list?The magazines I usually read are the Wire, Wired or Sight and Sound, so I'll reach for them. Given that I want to make good use of my golden ticket I will also grab some gardening, woodworking and running titles from Eason's huge selection.
What are your most clicked bookmarks?The Irish Times, the Guardian and the New York Times for news; Nialler9 and Pitchfork for music. I also like the Verge and Slate.
Do you have a favourite podcast or radio programme?I have RTÉ Radio One on all the time in the kitchen at home. Other than that the two podcasts I enjoyed most recently were Nialler9 #41 and Nature Theatre of Oklahoma's rambling but charming interview with actor Jim Fletcher from its OK Radio series. I'm also a big fan of Melvyn Bragg's In Our Time podcasts.
When you fall into a YouTube hole,what's the general subject matter of the video you watch?Music, usually: emo kids covering Tegan and Sara, Self Aid, The Smiths, early U2, Jello Biafra stirring it on Oprah and new stuff on music blogs.
What track should we listen to right now?As they're playing at the Electric Picnic in Stradbally on Saturday, and the earth is still burning, I'd listen to Impact from Orbital's Brown Album.
Which box set or TV series do you have on the go at the moment? We watched the third series of Spirals (Engrenages) on our holidays recently. Its a Paris-based police drama with the usual mix of corruption, dodgy but ultimately virtuous cops, immaculately coiffed and venal lawyers and stereotypical baddies. Other than that I can't get near the telly for iCarly and The Matt Hatter Chronicles.
What was the last gig or concert you went to, and what was your verdict?I saw Adebisi Shank in the Button Factory a few weeks ago. They were very good and I liked the new tunes.
Last week I arrived at the Noorderpark in Groningen, in the Netherlands, just as Alt-J were playing the last few bars of their final song of a free concert at a performing arts festival. I was kicking myself that I’d missed them, but those few bars sounded good.
Which app do you use the most?Other than email and Twitter its probably Tripit, Skyscanner and Endomondo.
And finally, if you book tickets to one play this month, make it . . .Apart from everything at Dublin Theatre Festival, of course, I'm looking forward to seeing Death of the Tradesmen at Absolut Fringe.
UNA MULLALLY
