I like to think of myself as a sort of record/bookshop ghost ninja. I'm in and out, my presence almost subliminal. But I was just lurking in a record shop in town and the guy behind the counter said, 'Hi. It's Richard, isn't it?' I must spend way longer mooching in record/bookshops than I thought.

Ok, I say 'ghost ninja', but what I really mean is that I'm rubbish at interacting with human beings in shops. I sort of creep in like a skittish cat. When I was younger, if a sales assistant headed toward me, I'd turn around and leave the shop!

Ok, I say 'when I was younger', but I didn't go in one shop today because the owner was alone in there: If I'd gone in, the probability of interaction was 100%. I prefer shops where the owner is chatting to another customer for the duration of my visit and barely notices that I've paid and left.