The Source: Russell Ramsey

ECD at JWT London, Russell Ramsey feels akin to a cat-stroking Bond baddie and is moved by Sex Pistols, spies, Stone Roses songs and a Spanish City
by the sea.

What is the most creative advertising idea you’ve seen in the last few months?

Trident Senses’ Pointless Fun. A fantastic integrated campaign featuring dancing polar bears and chicken shadow puppets. Online films, TV ads and crazy interactive events all linked together by pointlessness. The Pointless Collective’s three masked heroes, Tortuga, Paco and Flaquita, come up with ideas for pieces of pointless fun. pointlesscollective.com

What website do you use most regularly?

I’m still fascinated by Google Earth and Google street view. Use it to check out holiday destinations, restaurants, hotels. And if you’re thinking of moving house.

What’s your favourite website?

BBC.co.uk. For listening to the radio, getting up-to-date news, the weather, the sport and catching up on iPlayer.

What fictional character do you most relate to?

Doctor No, the James Bond villain who sat in his lair stroking his cat all day.

If you could be in any band, which would you choose?

Sex Pistols. A prerequisite for being in the band was that you couldn’t sing or play a musical instrument. I’d have fitted in perfectly. The more badly behaved they were the more famous they became. They were the first to use the F word on live TV and described the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a ‘piss stain’. They were rebellious about everything. Rebellious sound, rebellious hair and clothes and even rebellious typography. What they did have was raw energy and even though they only released four singles and one album they were hugely influential in stimulating a can-do attitude in British musical youth.

If you could live in one city, where would it be?

Spanish City, a permanent funfair at the seaside resort of Whitley Bay in North Tyneside. I used to love going there when I was a kid and so did Sting from The Police by all accounts. It had old-fashioned rollercoasters, an amusement arcade and a ghost train. Major plans to revamp it have been approved. I’ll be back.

What track/artist would you listen to for inspiration?

The Stone Roses’ debut album. 20 years old and still as fresh as when it came out. As a band they didn’t make very many albums but fortunately they achieved perfection at the first attempt. The songs have an ebb and flow that makes them so easy to listen to and leaves room for your own thoughts and ideas.

What product could you not live without?

A corkscrew. How else do you open a fine bottle of wine?

What product hasn’t been invented yet that would make your life/job better?

An instant body scanner for airports. The worst thing about air travel is that bit where you put your bag on the scanner together with your coat, belt, your shoes, money, keys etc. Not forgetting the laptop/iPad. I once saw someone pour a whole bottle of aftershave over his head because he wasn’t allowed to take it through. Fortunately I wasn’t sitting next to him on the plane. How good would it be to just walk through and have a scanner check everything without you even noticing?

Who’s your favourite photographer?

Irving Penn. I always regretted not buying one of his Small Trades series of workers’ portraits in the late 80s. It was in the window of the Hamilton Gallery in London, but £1,000 was a lot of money back in those days. He shot beautifully graphic portraits of ordinary people as well as the rich and famous. Also a beautiful collection of still lifes from flowers to cigarette butts.

What’s your favourite magazine?

The Hunger, Rankin’s new magazine. It’s for people with a hunger for creativity and features emerging talent. I loved Dazed and Confused and his new venture has so much stylish attitude and aggression. It has a live digital life as well. hungertv.com.

What’s the best film you’ve seen in the past year?

The Spy Who Came in From The Cold, which I watched for the first time recently on a BA flight to New York. Adapted from the John Le Carré novel, it was made in black and white in 1965 and tells the story of a disaffected British spy, played by Richard Burton. It has some great shots of 60s London and is the antithesis of a James Bond. It’s a small, dialogue-heavy film that subjects you to twists and turns from the word go, not through special effects but by clever storytelling. Watch it before you see the new Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy movie.

Mac or PC?

Apple makes some amazing products but I don’t buy the whole technology brand as a religion. Apple even makes their stores look like churches. Why do people behave the way they do? Queuing up overnight, worshipping all of the products and thinking Steve Jobs was God. Alan Shearer is God, surely?

Who’s your favourite designer?

Whoever designed [BBH] the beautiful new Audi Le Mans book, 24. Big and bold, every spread is impactful, interesting and different from the last. Strong graphic photography and varied type makes me want the brand even before I’ve read the compelling story of the 24hrs between the start and the finish of the race.

What show/exhibition has most inspired you this year?

Gerhard Richter at Tate Modern. Coinciding with his 80th birthday this is a diverse retrospective. I love the photorealist approach of a lot of his work. At first his paintings appear like photographs but look more closely and you see the delicate brush strokes. Great compositions and every mark considered. A trip up to the seventh floor restaurant gives me an inspiring view of the Thames and a pretty inspiring steak and chips.