Why table tennis is the ultimate oblique strategy

When we hit a creative brick wall or can’t agree if something should be one way or another we break for half an hour or so and play table tennis. It is the most simply absorbing game and in order to play well you have to turn off your mind and relax.

The minute you try and hit anything with any kind of misguided aggression your game is sunk. Joe has a table in his backyard and it is unlikely our 2 Bears album could have been made without it. I’m often asked in Q ‘n’ As which piece of equipment wouldn’t you go in the studio without and the answer is always a ping-pong table.

We’re fiercely competitive. Joe has the edge but I claim that’s because he has the table in his yard. I don’t know if we’re any good or not, we’ve never really played anyone else. We’re having a tournament to celebrate our album release, hopefully we don’t go out in the first round.