From hits with Ultravox and solo success to being a driving force behind Band Aid, Midge Ure has enjoyed a stellar career, selling millions of records along the way. We sat him down in our Q&A hot seat to hear about his love of Lou Reed and Fred Astaire, as well as his disdain for certain Tory politicians... 

Who would you like to see playing you in the movie about your life? Martin Compston did a great job a few years back on the Live Aid comedy. 

Who do you think the casting people would choose? A young Sean Connery . . . we are the same height after all!

If you were playing in an escape room name two other people (well-known or otherwise) you’d recruit to help you get out? Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. They can wriggle out of anything, anywhere, anytime.

What’s the punchline to your favourite joke? ‘What difference would another four years have made?’ 

If you were to return in a future life as an animal, what would it be? Err. . . a midge?

When was the last time you were mistaken for someone else? It doesn’t happen anymore I’m glad to say. People tend to think I look like a bit me or, if push comes to shove, Patrick Stewart or anyone else with a shaved head. My drummer Russell gets mistaken for me after shows which suits me fine. 

What’s the best cover version ever? The BBC’s multi-artist version of Lou Reed’s ‘Perfect Day’.

Whose speaking voice soothes your ears? Either Hannah Gordon or Stephen Fry.

Tell us something you wish you had discovered sooner in life? The joy of reading, something I avoided when I was young. 

Describe your perfect Saturday evening?  

Doing nothing with the people I like doing nothing with. Or performing: Saturday nights are usually a more vibrant crowd. 

If you were a ghost, who would you haunt? Miss Thompson, my primary school teacher. She made my life unbearable . . . not that I’ve carried that all these years, of course.

If you could relive any day of your life, which one would it be? 1976 when Slik were invited to a film premiere in London and I had the chance to shake Fred Astaire’s hand but was too scared to walk up to him. You never get those chances in life again. 

What’s your earliest recollection of winning something? I won a certificate for excellence in singing Burns songs when I was ten.

Did you have a nickname at school that you were ok with? And can you tell us a nickname you hated? No nickname, but lots of references to Yuri Gagarin the first man in space.

What’s a skill you’d love to learn but never got round to? To play the piano properly. 

If you were to start a tribute act to a band or singer, who would it be in tribute to and what would it be called?

Kraftwerk. I’d call them Neonalikes.

When were you most recently astonished by something? Jeff Beck has just passed so I’ve been watching lots of live video of him performing and I am astonished every single time I hear what he did.  

What tune do you find it impossible not to get up and dance to, whether in public or private? Still looking for that one. It’ll have to be a monster to get me dancing!

Which famous person would be your ideal holiday companion? I think Billy Connolly when we were still drinking. I’ve never known a funnier man.

As an adult, what has a child said to you that made a powerful impact? ‘Can’t they just buy more food?’ (my daughter when she was young, having met a teenage girl and her family in Sierra Leone who just had their crops devastated by drought and faced an impending famine).

Tell us one thing about yourself that would surprise people? I’m quite a quiet guy.

When did you last cry? I had a tear in my eye hearing about Jeff Beck’s passing. Music and what it does to you is a hugely powerful thing. 

What’s the most hi-tech item in your home? My phone.

By decree of your local council, you’ve been ordered to destroy one room in your house and all of its contents. Which room do you choose? The junk room, for obvious reasons. 

If you were selected as the next 007, where would you pick as your first luxury destination for espionage? Downing Street? There seems to be a lot of skullduggery there that Bond’s winning touch could sort out.

Midge Ure, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Wednesday 17 May; Barrowland, Glasgow, Thursday 18 May; he also appears as part of Let’s Rock Scotland, Dalkeith Country Park, Saturday 24 June.