Steve Davis dominated snooker in the 1980s and 1990s with an uncanny mastery of the game: it was as if a robot had turned up to ruin it for humans with mercilessly boring precision. Then he inexplicably became a techno DJ. Now he is into the synths, appearing over the weekend at the Brecon Jazz Festival.
"What we do isn't jazz as such, but we are improvising and that's very jazz-like," said Davis, who now lives just the other side of the Severn Bridge.
"I also used to improvise whenever I played snooker because I never knew what the next shot was going to be.
"So I'm still doing exactly what I've done all my life really."
Americans are surely familiar with snooker, similar to billiards, but may not be au fait with how it hits on television: a mesmerising combination of table physics, absurd formal-fetish attire and the hushed liminality of the traditional competition environment. In real life it belongs to the working classes of Britain, Ireland and lately China—a venn diagram of pub gambling cultures. The below video explains everything.
Previously:
• Fart noises disrupt Snooker Masters Finals: 'Not very funny at all'
• The evolution of snooker video games
• Pro snooker player throws a fit when an amateur player beats him
