Eating With Courtney Barnett

The Melbourne musician on pizza delivery, her addiction to two-minute noodles and making Obamas playlist.

What kind of food do you eat when you’re on the road?

Yesterday, I ate a burrito from a 24-hour burrito restaurant. I eat mostly vegetarian. I love vegetables and often there are no vegetables or salads. I’d be happy with a big plate of broccoli, but I find myself eating hot chips a lot as a substitute. It takes a bit of extra effort to eat well and find out where the good places are. A lot of the time, I don’t like to eat before I play, because I get too nervous, so I find myself not having dinner until one or two o’clock in the morning when we finish playing. Obviously, by then, everything is closed and the only option is a Domino’s.

You used to deliver pizzas. What was that like?

I really liked it. It was fun. I’d get to drive around in my car and listen to the radio. I probably drove back to the shop a bit slower than I needed to. On my first night, I became lost – this was before iPhones, and I didn’t have a road map. There was one place I went to that was like a scene from a horror movie with a flickering fluoro light and blood on the staircase. I was young, and by myself, so I was really scared. But otherwise, it was great – people give you tips.

You started playing music at age 10. How did you first get your hands on a guitar?