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Inside/Out with technologist, anthropologist and kiwanja-ologist Ken Banks
Kubatana.net
May 12, 2008

Describe yourself in five words?
Honest, tired, thoughtful, guilty, lost

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Join GALZ and meet gay people

What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done?
Had unprotected sex without a condom

What is your most treasured possession?
Teddy, I got him when I was one and he's still at the top of my cupboard

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having no choice

Do you have any strange hobbies?
Dreaming up stories of visiting other planets before I fall asleep at night

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I'm too thin and I have a curved spine

What is your greatest extravagance?
Cigarettes and alcohol

What have you got in your fridge?
Some milk, the leftovers from last night's supper of potato and lacto, a battery, packets of dried yeast, half a bottle of mayonnaise, meat for the dog, borehole water

What is your greatest fear?
That the situation in Zimbabwe will never recover

What have you got in your pockets right now?
A bit of used tissue

What is your favourite journey?
Going to Barbara Vitoria's house

Who are your heroes in real life?
My mother of course. In the development field, there's Peter and Hedi Kuthan. Some of the composers I admire are Klaus Hollinetz, Werner Puntigam, Peter Androsch, and Pierre Boulez (plus a lot of dead ones). Amongst the activists are Mandela, Derek Matyszak, Ghandi, Bev Clark and Brenda Burrell, Zackie Achmat, Edwin Cameron, Desmond Tutu, Marc Epprecht, Tor-Hugne Olsen, WOZA, ZLHR, Lynde Francis, Tony Reeler, Roger Stringer, Cary Johnson and others . . .

When and where were you happiest?
1 September, 1997, the day I walked into the GALZ office to take over the position of Programmes Manager for GALZ.

What’s your biggest vice?
Smoking and drinking

What were you like at school?
Timid and withdrawn

What are you doing next?
I'm going to check the rest of my emails and then I'm going home to work on my violin concerto

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