Blogger Will Salmon

Here are the answers from blogger Will Salmon

1/ What first got you into SF?
Reading Doctor Who and an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks and being so scared I had to sleep with the book upside down so the Daleks didn't exterminate me. Then reading Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion and being terrified of shop window dummies for life, to the point of having nightmares about them well into my teens. Obviously a glutton for punishment, with a problem distinguishing between fantasy and reality, I kept on going back. And then I started reading books without the 'Doctor Who and' prefix, and watching TV shows and films too.

2/ Who was your first geek crush?
Betty from Archie comics, Princess Eilonwy from The Black Cauldron and – a real human being! – Jennifer Connelly in Labyrinth. I was a child. It wasn't creepy.

3/ If you were a spaceship from a TV show or movie, which would you be (and why)?
I should probably say the TARDIS because I'm bigger on the inside, or something like that, but that would be hugely egotistical. I'll go for something ropey and closer to the truth, like Scorpio from Blakes 7, complete with Slave wimpering away in the background.

4/ If SFX were to run a convention, which guest would you most like to meet there?
David Bowie. What? Labyrinth is genre, after all.

5/ What's the most exciting thing to happen to you (SF wise) in 2009 so far?
Lost. I was a casual fan for the first season, but it's just grown with every year. Now it's a show about fate, science vs faith, order vs chaos – and time travel! I think it's remarkable that the producers have been able to make such a wildly ambitious story for television, and even more remarkable that it's a popular hit and not just buried away on SCI FI or SyFy or whatever it's called now. Oh! And the rebirth of proper Star Trek has been utterly thrilling.

6/ What feature would you most like us to add to this website?
A nicer layout. More regularly updated news. More fun features that do stuff you wouldn't or couldn't do in the mag. Interactive features. SFX has a loyal fanbase and they deserve a website as good as the magazine. Also, my name in 75 point flashing letters. On every single page.

7/ What SF character has most inspired you in your life?
The Doctor. A peaceful, liberal hero who uses his brains rather than his fists. Except for those times in the show when he does use his fists, or a handy rock, obviously. He loathes violence, has an endless thirst for knowledge, often dresses appallingly and beats the bad guys by being funnier than them. I'm not saying that I live up to any of these qualities, mind. Or Sad Tony, the runner up in the BBC's design a monster for Doctor Who competition from a few years back. I think that the concept of an alien who has no friends because he farts too much holds a mirror up to the plight of humanity.

8/ What's always your number one book or DVD recommendation to a friend?
Books: Perdido Street Station by China Miéville is the most enjoyable book I've read in years. I also loved Nymphomation by Jeff Noon. His prose is just stunning. Where are you Jeff? Come back man!

DVD: Fahrenheit 451 is the most beautiful movie ever made. Well alright, that's stretching it, but I find it incredibly moving. The use of colour is magical, and Oskar Werner brings a wonderful stillness to Montag. Also the original Wicker Man which is both hilarious and terrifying.

9/ If you were the boss of SFX magazine for a day, what would be your first command?
Go and fetch the bacon sandwiches, Dave.

10/ Who'd win in a fight, a caveman or an astronaut?
Sad Tony.