Shirley Manson: Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?

The question

Who alive today do you admire most, and what draws you to them?

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

The Guardian's Q&A repeatedly uses this prompt, sometimes dropping 'living' while retaining the same comparative judgment.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Shirley Manson

Scottish singer and songwriter; lead vocalist of Garbage

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Greta Thunberg, a brightly coloured little bird in a coalmine, desperately sounding the alarm for others while laying her childhood to waste.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

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Neneh Cherry Swedish singer

My grandmother, Marianne Karlsson.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 June 2014 source ↗

Mellody Hobson Co-chief executive and president of Ariel Investments

I really appreciate the fact, and I constantly tell Reverend Jackson and Reverend Sharpton that I appreciate the fact that they're fighting for us, because I am an accident of birth.

Recorded Farai Chideya, News & Notes, Leading Ladies series, NPR, 22 March 2007 source ↗

Bryan Ferry British singer

Richard Hamilton – as my teacher at college, he greatly influenced my ways of seeing art and the world.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 23 October 2010 source ↗

Christopher Eccleston English actor

Elsie Eccleston, my mother, for her emotional intelligence, kindness, intense curiosity, and chicken and leek pies.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 5 October 2019 source ↗

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Question What accomplishment matters most to you? Craft & work

My dog’s trust in me.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

Question What do you fear most? Identity & self

Dying of the same awful disease that took my mother – a particularly aggressive form of dementia called Pick’s disease.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

Question If you had only one day left, how would you spend it — and what would you deliberately avoid? Death & what remains

By the sea. I would like to be on the beach in Kerala, I would like to be on the beach at Yellowcraigs in Scotland, and then at a really good table, drinking really good wine, eating delicious food, and discussing things I am passionate about with people that I am passionate about.

Recorded Clash, Last Day On Earth, 30 March 2012 source ↗

Question Who deserves an apology from you, and for what? Failure & regret

Myself. I have never been harder on anyone else.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

Question What fills you with the most pride? Identity & self

It was such a beautiful summer’s night and I had pink hair and my band was doing really well and my mum was there, my mum was still alive. It was very magical for me and to get the honour of my city, to be blessed by their respect, it was delicious.

Recorded Niall Doherty, Louder feature interview, Louder (Classic Rock), 23 June 2024 source ↗

Question As a child, what career or life did you imagine for yourself? Identity & self

A ballerina. I remain rather disappointed that I became a rock star instead.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 14 May 2022 source ↗

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Dan Aykroyd, Bryan Ferry, Emeli Sandé, Billie Piper, Jennifer Hudson, Shane MacGowan

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