Born in 1957, the son of two designers, he went to music college, where he played the bassoon.

I was also spending a lot of time playing the bassoon, which would have been less embarrassing if it were a euphemism.

I played the bassoon to a semi-professional standard, but sadly this has fallen away.

In the fourth grade, he began playing the bassoon, an instrument that appealed to him because of its mechanical nature.

He can be seen playing the bassoon in the opening sequence of the show.