Colin Beattie: 'My dancing will absolutely clear the dance floor'

What was the first record that you ever bought?

I was brought up in a rather poor area where we didn't have a TV or a radio – we couldn't afford them. So, my exposure to music was quite limited in those early years but when I went overseas I got a record player and the very first record I bought was Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night. I thoroughly enjoyed it and played it to death.

What record will always get you on the dance floor?

I've got two left feet. My dancing will absolutely clear the dance floor, but a good foot-tapping Scottish jig will get me up.

What is your go-to karaoke song?

You’ll not be surprised to learn that I'm pre-karaoke. My ability to sing is zero, I can assure you. However, if it's something like Dancing Queen and Everybody Needs Somebody to Love by The Blues Brothers then I could maybe cope with that.

What songs do you want played at your funeral?

Highland Cathedral. It's a bit majestic but at the same time calming and rather restful music. It just has something about it.

What song was the first dance at your wedding?

Strangely, it was The Dashing White Sergeant. The wedding was very Scottish themed.

If you could change the Scottish national anthem, what would you change it to?

It's always a debate between Scots Wha Hae and Flower of Scotland. I think Scots Wha Hae is a bit doom and gloom and that Flower of Scotland, enhanced a wee bit, would be the answer. Something joyous for the future.

What record do you absolutely hate but can get out of your head?

The Beatles’ Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da. It was ranked 48 out of 50 of the worst songs ever written, but the opening lyrics and the tune are impossible to get rid of.

What record would you be embarrassed to own up to having in your collection?

My wife's the musical person in our family, and she does have a peculiar composition consisting of what to me are kind of disconnected notes, all jumbled up. I believe she got it in Prague and she plays it quite often. It drives me crazy.

What was the last band you went to see, and who with?

I went with my wife to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, who were very good.

Are there any songs that mark a special moment in your political life, or you associate with your political wins?

I think there's only one song really, and probably every SNP MSP would come up with it, and that's I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. It's got this triumphalist edge to it and its exuberance is really invigorating and gets you going.