A question of taste - Caoilian Sherlock

Caoilian Sherlock is a musician and artist based in Cork city who triples up as a DJ as well as being one of the organisers of the Quarter Block Party. That arts and music festival takes place around North Main and South Main streets this weekend.

Best recent book you’ve read: Patti Smith — Just Kids. I’ve read and re-read it over and over for the past year.

Best recent film: I’ve just found out about Paris Is Burning. It was released in 1991 so it’s not quite recent but it’s fresh to me. It’s so outrageously quotable and exciting even though it was 25 years ago.

Best recent show or gig you’ve seen: I went to see This Is How We Fly at the Fumbally Stables in Dublin. It was a live recording for the new album. It was a small intimate crowd and it felt like we were very much part of the process for the band — even though I was just sitting there drinking cans of Guinness.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately: Nadia Reid’s debut album Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs.

First ever piece of music or art that really moved you: I was absolutely obsessed with ‘Yellow Submarine’ by The Beatles when I was very small. I thought it was a nursery rhyme. Little did I know, it was psychedelic.

Your favourite ever event from a previous Block Party: Brigid Mae Power, pictured, who returns this year, played one of the first shows in our first year in Plugd Records. I fell in love with her voice at that show — it was also the moment that I relaxed into the festival and remembered why we we’re doing Quarter Block Party in the first place.

TV viewing: I’m getting into Peaky Blinders right now, whatever is good on Netflix. The new Unfortunate Series Of Events series is brilliant as well. Regular TV actually seems insane when you go back to it. So many ads, it can really drive you crazy. I only use it to watch Liverpool matches.

Radio listening and/or podcasts: Second Captains for football stuff and then I quite like Song Exploder which has musicians talking about how they wrote certain songs, it’s very lovely.

I also love Stuff Mom Never Told You — I guess it’s a feminist podcast but more so — it’s a regular podcast looking at topics through a female narrative. Although they’ve just finished so I don’t where I’ll get perspective from.

You’re curating your dream festival — what three artists are on the bill? Without any question of cash or mortality — ABBA as headliner, Patti Smith and Biggie Smallls. All in the Peace Park in Cork.

Your best celebrity encounter: Mary Robinson visited my house when I was young enough. Is it fair to call her a celebrity? I was star struck anyway!

You can portal back to any period of human cultural history or music event — where, when, and why? I would portal back to 1970 — Dana winning Eurovision with ‘All Kinds Of Everything’.

Unsung hero — individual, organisation or group you think don’t get the praise they deserve: I worked with Sexual Health Centre on Peters Street. They are an amazing bunch of people who do important work getting the correct information to all kinds of people especially young people in Cork city. They are progressive as well as warm and clever people who go above and beyond.

You are king for a day — what’s your first decree? I would repeal the eighth amendment of the Irish Constitution.