Jon Ronson was this week’s guest for ‘Back to Mine’ on the Tom Dunne Show. Ronson is the bestselling author of The Psychopath Test and The Men Who Stare at Goats, which was made into a major Hollywood film starring George Clooney and Kevin Spacey.

The focus of this interview however was largely to do with the earlier part of his career. In the 1980s Ronson was the keyboard player in Frank Sidebottom’s band. Sidebottom was the stage name of Chris Sievey, an eccentric and wonderful alter ego who developed a cult following and is now the subject of a new film directed by Irishman Lenny Abrahamson (What Richard Did).

Ronson became involved in the band by default. Sidebottom’s manager had been looking for a keyboard player. When Ronson told him he himself could play, he was instantly hired on a whim. From that point, Ronson toured the country with this rather contrary band of brothers, playing to often bemused but more often than not, appreciative audiences, audiences that understood the value in the marginal and different.

Ronson has recently written a book about his experiences in the band, entitled 'Frank'. This, in turn, and with the aid of his own screenwriting skills, has become the new Abrahamson film which is due for release in Ireland in May. It premiered at February’s Sundance Film Festival, in the States, to excellent reviews.

His first song pick on the night was ‘Judy and the Dream of Horses’ by Belle and Sebastian (See video below). He chose this duo because they recently scored the new sitcom he has written, which stars Friends’ alumnus Matthew Perry.

Many people are baffled by the appeal of Frank Sidebottom and his band. Tom asked Ronson what it was about him that appealed to audiences. He described his as a celebration of the marginal and whimsical. Sidebottom was about “pricking pomposity” and “living a small life”.

In real life Ronson says that Peter Sievey was “chaotic and prone to hedonism in all its forms”, but when he donned his giant papier mache head  he became “an innocent child”.

For his second, song Ronson chose “M.I.A.’s ‘Galang’. For him, this song represents everything that is great about London and he often listens to it now with an air of nostalgia in his adopted city of New York.  

For Ronson’s final song choice he picked ‘Container Drivers’ by punk band The Fall.