Before my teen years, I was losing my hearing pretty quickly, and I was getting very, very angry. I was beginning to become an angry person because of that.
I often play on the cello-bass side of the orchestra, because I prefer the deep sounds. I can't hear the violins well.
Percussion is physical, as most instruments are. The body must function well in order to play the instruments well. Last year I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
My hearing is out of the ordinary as others might see it, but not for me. I'm used to my hearing in the same way that I'm used to the size of my hands.
Hearing is a form of touch. I could hear less through the ears but more through the body.
The thing about playing percussion is that you can create all these emotions that can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes really ugly, or sometimes sweet, sometimes as big as King Kong and so on. And so there can be a real riot out there, or it can be so refined.
Anything you strike, anything you shake or rattle, or just anything that can be picked up, and you can create a sound.
Once you're in a particular country, and you're surrounded by musicians who are so adept at traditional music, you suddenly realize how much there is to explore and digest and learn and experience.
I walk into a kids' store, and it's amazing, the types of instruments - little squeaky things, rattling things, spinning tops.
I didn't decide to become a musician until the age of 15, which is quite late.
I've kept a diary since I was 11.
I think I can only help to expose percussion to all sorts of people. The balance between the lighter and more serious side is important.
Apart from Scottish traditional music, I wasn't really influenced by any kind of music. I just basically followed my own instincts.
When I was 12, I happened to see a schoolmate playing percussion, and it looked interesting. I asked for lessons, and it felt right.
I'm not a deaf musician. I'm a musician who happens to be deaf.
As we live longer and healthier for longer, we need to keep ourselves busy... the diary is pretty full.
My role on the planet is to bring the power of sound.
A lot of things which come with a high profile will always be criticised one way or another.
There's still a lot I need to do as a player, as a musician, as a sound creator. I have commissioned 170 pieces: that's still not enough, there are still lots and lots of composers I would like to approach. When I see a composer and I see a performer, I think to combine those forces.
What I have to do as a musician is do everything that is not on the music.
