Michael, a brief intro to the show, please…
It’s a collaborative exhibition with British artist Bob Matthews. We deal with architecture and urban ruins in Singapore and the UK. I was based in the UK while Bob was in Singapore. It features interactive pieces, collages and site specific installation art. My work serves as a homage to [Belgian Surrealist] René Magritte, one of the most interesting mindf*ckers ever to exist in the world of art.

So what are some ideas you’ve been playing with in your recent work?
The idea of “uselessness” first espoused by [German philosopher] Immanuel Kant. I’m also intrigued by failure in the context of Singapore because there’s too much emphasis on success here.

In your prints you include the names of random people like local architect and urban planner Liu Thai-Ker, and more random still, graphic novelist Chris Ware. Why’s that?
I enjoy making far flung and often ridiculous connections. I’ve stolen everything I could from the world, what’s more interesting is that I even add their names to the works. It just keeps everyone guessing—am I accusing someone or making impossible connections?

Nostalgia is a common theme in contemporary Singaporean art. What’s your take on it?
The pop version is what authorities and advertisers peddle because it makes you spend money. What I’ve been more interested in is authentic nostalgia that’s aware of its potential pitfalls. Remembering is something that mixes memory and fantasy; that’s how the human mind works.

Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Signature Art Prize 2011 Finalists Exhibition runs through March 4, 2012 at the Singapore Art Museum.

Utopias runs through December 18 at the National Museum of Singapore.

Aladdin is all about… fun, love and laughter.

We can't get enough of ABBA because… everyone secretly loves camp!

Pantomime is all about… being completely subversive. Men dressing as women, and women dressing as men.

My favorite scene is… where the elderly matriarch Amelia Neo of Amethyst Rise sings her own version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.”

I love… Wizard Abbakadabrah because he’s so perverse!

If I was trapped in Batu Caves for a night… I’d be looking for a lamp to rub.

Aladdin, which features the theater debuts of Singapore Idols Hady Mirza and Sylvia Ratonel, runs through December 17 at Drama Centre, National Library.

How would you describe your music in three words?
A natural high.

You look like a tribal sorcerer. Which dead musician’s spirit would you like to collaborate with?
Probably George Harrison because he seems so versatile. He could help me with my songs.

What are your jukebox picks if you are packing sardines in a dingy factory?
It’s a really boring job so I need some uplifting tunes. “Look at What the Light Did Now” by Feist & Little Wings, “Disorder” by Joy Division and “Qu’est-ce Qui Ne Tourne Pas Rond Chez Moi” by Antoine.

You seem like someone who’s into magical realist fables. What’s your all-time favorite story?
Antoine de St. Exupery’s The Little Prince. Simply because grown-ups don’t see the elephant inside a snake.

You were trained as a filmmaker. If you were going to make a biopic about a Thai band, who would you feature?
I actually have two bands in mind. Selina and Sirinya because they make really beautiful sad music while Yellow Fang can really rock the socks off everyone.

What can we expect at UptotheSky?
Expect to be surprised because I just formed a new band for this event. We’re still rehearsing, but it will be interesting to watch us live.

See Little Fox at the inaugural UpTotheSky Festival on December 3 at Old School.

Talking of bromances who would yours be with?
I’d love to have one with Ricky Gervais. I just don’t think anyone can get more hilarious than him.

What was the first album you bought?
A greatest hits album from Kiss. My elder siblings, who are my role models, have always been big fans.

How do you craft your set list?
I build my sets on energy. The energy of a set is much like the energy of a house track. You have the intro, the drop, the break, a bigger drop and an ending. Depending on where the crowd’s energy is at, you have to adjust your set list. I’m fortunate enough to have learned this early on, but you can never get enough experience.

Are you a music snob ?
Not really. I listen to all kinds of music; I’m not locked into any specific genre or type. If I like it, I like it for what it is.

Any funny rituals before you get on decks?
I always do a shot of Jägermeister before going on. Tiësto got me into it.

You doing anything special for ZoukOut?
Definitely! I just finished a couple tracks in Stockholm. I’m going to try out at least one new exclusive track at the festival.

ZoukOut 2011 is happening on December 10 at Siloso Beach, Sentosa.

What runs through your mind when you’re shooting in conflict zones?
The most important thing is not to be seduced by the rush and excitement, and to be sensitive to the environment; to really try to understand what’s happening and why. The best ways to do this is to be as educated as you can about the situation by doing lots of research, and secondly by being as neutral as possible. Coming from a small, neutral country helps with the latter.

What rules do you follow when you’re working?
I always shoot with a wide angle lens. In order to fill the frame, this obliges me to get physically close to my subjects. This helps me get mentally and emotionally close to them. I shoot with a small, unobtrusive camera, without a flash and the other paraphernalia of photographers, so as not to intimidate people.

You did a stint at Magnum. What was the most invaluable lesson you learned there?
The privilege of looking through the work of the great photographers was the best. Just being around them and absorbing many lessons, either through their direct teaching or by osmosis.

The Intimate Moment runs through Nov 30 with a talk by Yian Huang on Nov 26 at Galerie Steph.

All along, it has been our plan to… make the transition from a club to a seated space like the Esplanade Recital Studio. It’s always been our mission to play in different venues and reach everyone.

The biggest difference is going to be… not worrying about entertaining drunk kids, but that also means we have to be absolutely tight and subtle in our approach.

Collaborating with KoFlow is going to be… a challenge, because he’s an extraordinary improviser.

Octover is all about… fresh, soulful electronica where the jazz-influenced vocals of Vanessa Fernandez meet iconic local producer Jason Tan’s wizardry.

The visuals on this night would transport you… to a neo-noir futuristic world. Think Blade Runner.

If you enjoy the gig, don’t forget to… grab a copy of our new Syndicate album. CDs are the new vinyl.

Brace yourself for a multi-sensory journey with Syndicate on November 25 at the Esplanade Recital Studio.

For the uninitiated, describe WU LYF in three words.
Kill Your Friends.

Your debut album, Go Tell Fire To The Mountain, was recorded in an abandoned church. How was the recording process?
It was all about passion because not many would have braved the harsh, freezing environment in that huge church during October and November. All we could do was drink whisky and make music.

How did you come up with that gruff, Tom Waits-esque vocal style?
An accident. I really don’t know how to sing, it’s only through playing more gigs that I’m learning how to.

Demystify what WU LYF’s heavy pop is all about…
It’s quite simple actually; we came up with a bunch of songs that connects the notion of heaviness with pop sensibilities.

How’s the second album coming along?
Well, we are structuring it around a road movie and have already worked on three songs. It should be out April next year.

Finally, what the hell is Ronaldo in a Barca shirt doing on the band’s website?
He’s always been my all-time favorite footballer but it also explains what we’re trying to do with the LYF membership is similar to FC Barcelona’s concept of socios.

Catch WU LYF alongside 13 other indie acts at the second edition of St Jerome’s Laneway on February 12. Tickets are now on sale at $135 from Sistic.

Interesting band moniker—who came up with it and why?
Well, it was a band name waiting to happen. I decided I had to use it even before I had members for the band.

To get a song out on LA FM after playing for a month is a pretty formidable feat, how did that come about?
Getting a song on LA FM is the power of the Internet in full force. Big props to local music blog The Hamster and The Guppies for being influential. An LA FM DJ emailed me after listening to our track through the blog and that’s how we snuck into their airplay.

The band’s music seems dreamy twee enough, why then is it not possible to get airplay on local radio?
We haven’t tried approaching local stations because I think local mainstream stations don’t understand the lo-fi movement. I doubt the DJs even know bands like Dum Dum Girls exist. If you look at the playlist of Kxlu 88.9FM, we came on after Seapony and before Big Troubles. I much rather be in company of those bands than the Biebers and other teen idols.

If you had to describe the band as a literary character, who would it be?
Bret Easton Ellis’ alter ego in Lunar Park is the most apt. Stars of mild then descend into madness. Just like some of our tunes, especially “Dream”. The verse captures the feel of a really old song, and the chorus is dark and very effects driven.

Catch Obedient Wives Club playing alongside the likes of Plain Sunset, Cheating Sons, In Each Hand A Cutlass, Ingride and Run Neon Tiger at the local music celebration Lepa(r)k! on November 19 at Tiong Bahru Park.

I was 18 when I wrote my first song. It was about hope and frankly it was terrible.

No fan, stale air, scorching lights and you are still whacking the drums; now that’s what I call a proper workout.

The thing I miss about being fat is that no one would bat an eyelid when I pigged out on a large pizza, six chicken wings, a pint of ice-cream and a 1.5 liter bottle of Coke. And that was just a single meal.

I still shudder when I recall my first time on air alone. It was a five-hour shift and sharing my supposedly funny experiences during the week totally backfired. It was a stinker but luckily I didn’t get any hate mail.

Rain or shine, I have to run daily, it keeps my heart pumping and is a great stress reliever.

Finishing the 10km Sundown Marathon in 40th place was remarkable, considering that I was obese two years ago and couldn’t even run 600 meters.

I have always been intrigued by politics. At 19, I was the youngest Singapore ambassador at an APEC conference in Chile.

It was fantastic experience learning from some of the world’s biggest leaders like Colin Powell, but speaking to Helen Clarke was intimidating. She would bore you down with an earth quaking stare before answering questions.

I tend to change my hair color a couple of times every month. There is no pattern to it but red and two toned orange looks best on me.

My fondest childhood memory is the smell of my dad’s cologne. He used to be a financial director at Dunhill and I used to hug him for a whiff of that musky scent.

I am a watered down Peranakan but I still uphold the traditions and I can’t resist the great cuisine too.

The biggest drawback about being a DJ is that I hardly see my parents during weekdays.

I am the odd one out in my family because my parents are totally not musical and can’t even hold a tune.

My grandfather taught me humility and life-long learning. At 91, he was still learning how to write Chinese and didn’t mind asking me a question or two to clarify his doubts.

Opening for Hoobastank and Paramore was fun, but the greatest satisfaction I received was from one of the first gigs we played at Ren Ci Nursing Home.

We had to wake up early on a Sunday and perform with a crappy karaoke system in a small room filled with 30 seniors. But it was truly a life-changing and touching experience.

Absinthe Artisan

To the uninitiated, it takes some time finding (it’s towards the Elgin Bridge end of Boat Quay, above a convenience store), but it’s well worth the effort. The joint’s leather seats, chandeliers and old school French music, make it the kind of place you’d imagine the wormwood was always drank in. Individual glasses (served traditionally with water drip and sugar cube) and cocktails cost $18-22, and they also have a cocktail flight ($75 for four drinks) which includes a fruit-based concoction, an absinthe martini garnished with bak kwa (which, trust us, actually works) and absinthe coffee.

Se7en1nch

Absinthe is what makes Se7en1nch stand out, and it claims to be the only bar in Singapore to specialize in Green Fairy cocktails. Flaming Suicide ($38) for example is like the famed (or rather flamed) Lamborghini, except the Suicide’s alcoholic rush hits you more like a rocket. Made from tequila and black absinthe (which has an 85% alcohol volume), it is drunk while flaming sambuca is poured into your glass.

Auld Alliance

Most folks are under the impression that this most alluring old world joint decked in dark timber and distinguished leather couches is a haven for whisky connoisseurs. But the menu which is as thick as an Oscar Wilde novel does have a special page devoted to thirty different absinthes($16-29) from Europe. There are no cocktails here but individual glasses served complete with traditional brouilleur (glass dripper). Our favorites include the herbaceous La Coquette($20) and the brilliant emerald glow and distinct flavor of Edouard ($29).