Hi, TTY, thanks for having us over, and for the tea! We've kind of unsubtley used this chat as an excuse to get ourselves in to the 'Yen cave, so to speak....though we do maintain your website for no money so it's the least you could do obviously. If I may reveal to the reader, you're not wearing your suit, and you haven't trimmed your 'beard'.
This is quite exciting and I feel a real out-of-proportion thrill at this exclusive window into your world!

"Umm, thanks! I should really apologise for this, but it is my day off so hopefully that's vaguely in the realms of an excuse!"

You're wearing purple cords and a brown corduroy cardigan.
This is SO your day off.

"Yep, this is one of my favourite songwriting/tea drinking outfits!"

It's great. You look very handsome if my say so, even unkempt and in your socks.

[Tim shifts uncomfortably in his chair, though is that a teensy weensy little impish smile I see from our hero?)

So, TTY, I'm dying to ask, in my non-interviewing technique, in no particular order:
New material? Album? Nice Christmas? New Year? Are you well? When's your next show?

"Ooh. Well...I'm currently in the throes of finishing writing a song or two more for my debut album, which will be out in the summer.
I had a nice Christmas and New Year thank you very much, though I had a cold for about three months. Did you have a good one? Any good presents at Christmas. Did you spend it with your fami..."

Team Ten Yen reminds Tim this is an interview to go out to his fans, he can't ask the questions. ..

"sorry...umm, I'm playing my first gig of the year this coming Thursday night at Tommy Flynn's in Camden. I'm looking forward to that as I've never played there before.
The night is called Kebabalon and.."

[Tim gets out scribbled-on envelope from his back pocket, squints at it]

"...is-free-to-get-in-before-8-or-£3-after-that-the-other-bands-on-are-Arthurs-Tea-Party-then-The-Motion-then-High-Priests-then-Black-Apples... then I'm on at 10:45pm."

Wow, thanks TTY. Can we borrow the envelope a second?
(I then spend a minute tapping what was on the envelope into our lap top. Translated, what Tim was saying was this:

Kebabalon at Tommy Flynn's.
Cost: Entry free before 8pm 3 pounds thereafter.

10.45 Tim Ten Yen
10.00 Black Apples
9.15 High Priests
8.30 The Motion
8.00 Athurs Tea Party)

We'll be there TTY. Any chance of any guestlist? Will you be playing any new material at the show?

"Excellent - it should be a brilliant night. I'm afraid there's no guestlist though! I wish I could get you in!
I haven't played a live show since Reyjavik in December so I'm kind of chomping at the bit!
I'm not going to do any of the new songs just yet, as I'm concentrating on recording the material for the album, some of which might be instrumental. We'll see."

That's fine. As long as you play Girl Number One and The Bear and the Fox we're coming.

"Thanks - yes, I'm playing those!"

You are going to do a new song live soon aren't you though??

"Definitely! I'm going to wait until my show on the 30th of March at the Dublin Castle I think. It's my birthday, so I'm going to use the excuse that, because it's my birthday, people have to forgive me if I do a new song and they don't like it."

It's your birthday? On the 30th of March?? I'm glad you warned us! Why are you doing a gig on your birthday?? Shouldn't you be partying somewhere, or out to dinner, or something??

"To be honest, singing my songs is my favourite thing, so I was really happy when I was offered the 30th of March show. I'm going to ask all my friends along, and will maybe have a drink or two after the show. Obviously not before. Even though it's my birthday, I want my performance to be nothing less than the total professionalism that people expect of me!
I will be dedicating each song to someone different that night. I may have a bit of a tear in my eye. I always feel quite emotional on my Birthday."

So do we. That's great TTY! Obviously, we'll be there too! Going back to something you said earlier...you mentioned the last show you played was in Reykjavik. How was that? How did you find Reykjavik?? How was the show? How did you go down?

"It was great thank you. SO great! I won't say anything more now, as I will soon have the pictures delivered of the whole trip. If it's okay with you, we can then have another chat like this along with showing those pictures, once I have had a chance to sift through and find the ones I look handsome in?"

That's fine TTY. That won't leave many pictures to show though will it?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ah ha!
You know I'm only joking. So, can I take it that's another invitation around for tea?

"Ha, yeah, I suppose it is."

Thanks for the time TTY, even though it is your own website we're doing this for.

"It was my pleasure, and obviously, thank you, really great to talk to you!"

So there you have it - TTY, post-Christmas, post-New Year, and not in too bad spirits.
We'll try and intercept the photos of Iceland first so we can get him to let us put most of them up. He'll probably be fine if we're asking him what he's doing in each one.
Keep an eye out for that - they're due any day now, so as soon as we can corner Tim again, we'll then put up the conversation.

Thanks for reading!!

Team Ten Yen x x