´óÏó´«Ã½

Bill Drummond was in Belfast this week to make a programme for Radio 4. It's his impressions of theÌýcity. He's been coming here since he wasÌýthree, he said.

He's from Stranraer. His father was a Presbyterian minister and connections withÌýhere - and in particular the North Antrim coast - areÌýstrong. Hence the Curfew Tower in Cushendall, which he now owns.

WIth the programme's producer, we went for a walk around the city centre at night, down Pottinger's Entry, past the Victoria Square Centre and on to Muriels.

Titty Von Tramp, Northern Ireland's most famous drag queen,Ìýwas sitting at the bar when we walked in. The barman iced our glasses to make sure the glasses would be asÌýchilled as the wine. The bar seemed to glow.ÌýBill seemed genuinely taken by our surroundings.

It was now 930pm. And even though he'd left his house atÌý4.50am that morning,Ìýbeen recording since he got off the plane, had already walked the city, spoken toÌýthe likes of novelistÌýGlenn Patterson and Marcus Patton and still had another day's recordingÌýahead of him, he was in the mood for talk and argument.ÌýÌý

SoÌýwe talked and argued.Ìý When he wasÌýmanager of Echo and the Bunnymen he insisted they play Belfast in the early 1980s.ÌýWas there a certain amount of kudos playing Belfast then? Troubles chic? He visibly bristles. No it wasn't he says sternly. But then thaws a bit and says he can understand why I would ask that.

He doesn't rate the Belfast music scene. There was an early Rudi single he says he liked. Stiff Little fingers I ask? No, he says quite emphatically.

He remembers coming here in his teens and going to traditional music sessions. He would ban them now. Hates the fact that there's so much history in them. It's now myÌýturn to bristle.

Bizarrely his desire to create ground zero with a set of jigs and reels gets to me. I'm not even a major fan of the music but somehow I don't seeÌýhow banning it and starting from scratch will change anything.

Bill is the man who created No Music day. He tells us he doesn't listen to music anymore. We had been talking about baking earlier. While at the bar we were confronted by some amazing looking cupcakes and it got us talking. I said that I had found a new found enthusiasm forÌýfruit crumbles.ÌýHe said damson crumbles are the best. So when he mentioned the no music thing later, I asked him what do you listen to when you're baking?

I listen to what's in my head.

The taxi leaves him back at a friend's house where he's staying the night. When he gets out the taxi driver asks is he famous? As a shorthand we say he's the fella who burned the million pounds. Oh him, comes the reply. Did he? Burn the million? I don't know I say, I didn't ask him. I didn't want to go into the Irish traditional music debacle or the unprintable reaction to SLF. I do know it's his sister's birthday in a few days' time and he's torn between making her a coffee cake (Camp coffee is the secret ingredient he swears by) or a fruit crumble.

Bill Drummond presents "Belfast- re imagining the City"Ìýon ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 9th March at 1130am.