Russell Levia, musician extraordinaire.
We caught up with Russell at Irene’s on a Saturday afternoon where he is a frequent performer at their Open Mike. A multi-instrumentalist with a great voice, Russell has been touring with Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre since 1988!
What do you do?
I’m a musician. I play in day-care centres and schools during the day and sometimes I sing for adults in the evenings.
What colour are your pyjamas?
I love to wear my yellow Rag & Bone t-shirt to bed!
What’s your favourite bedtime story?
Anything by Agatha Christie.
What do you have for breakfast?
My favourite breakfast is bacon and eggs.
Where would you most like to go on holidays?
I’ve always wanted to go to Monument Valley, just north of the Grand Canyon, where giant rocks grow out of the desert like islands.
When did your first big adventure start?
When I was 16 I went to Saskatchewan to curl in the Canadian High School Championships. That was a pretty big deal for me. It was my first time on an airplane.
Where did it take you?
To North Battleford.
Why did you get involved?
My friend told me I should try out curling.
How did you know that your life had changed forever?
When I first heard Joni Mitchell on the radio.
What three things would you bring to a deserted island?
Can I have four? My guitar, my Agatha Christie collection, my TV, and my girlfriend, if only I had one.
Who would you most like to get stuck in an elevator with?
Joni Mitchell.
What’s one thing you don’t like?
Whiskey.
Do you have a catch phrase?
“I can’t complain.”
What scares you?
Boa constrictors. (Russell has a song about them here.)