Scouting for Girls' Roy Talks Chicks

Is it just me, or does North London's Harrow seem to be a hotbed of musical talent? Let's review the evidence. Firstly, there's The Rakes frontman, Alan Donohoe, who was born in Harrow. Then we have the lovely Kate Nash, who grew up there. Now look! What's that coming over Harrow on the hill? Why, it's Roy "He's So Lovely" Stride of Scouting for Girls! Well done, Harrow … you've really come up trumps this time.

We recently heard that Roy doesn't eat animals, so we were excited to hear that our friends at peta2 UK had called him up and had a nice chat with him about his reasons for going vegetarian. Roy, it's over to you …

How did you find out about PETA?
I found out about PETA when I was thinking about going vegetarian, and I sort of stopped eating meat on and off for about a year, but I was still eating fish. Then I was just looking on the Web site, and after that I just went, "No, I'm not eating meat anymore."

When did you go veg, and how did your family feel about it? 
Umm … probably at age 23. [My parents] were cool, you know … it really doesn't make that much of an impact on people's lives. I haven't eaten meat for ages now, and it's not even something I think about. When you start thinking about it properly, [eating meat] becomes like a really bizarre concept, yeah? You know how meat-eaters come up to you and say, "Ah, don't you miss bacon?" Well, no, not really. I mean, it's nothing to do with the taste—it's just something I'd never do.

On that note, do you like any of the mock meats out there?
Well, I didn't give up meat because I didn't like the taste of it. I quite enjoyed it. It was just the fact that you can live perfectly happily, and even more healthily, without having to kill something. When we're touring, we eat out virtually every night, so I think I've tasted every single veggie burger in the world!

Do you feel any different now that you're vegetarian?
My favorite thing about being a vegetarian is … you know the Simpsons episode where Lisa goes to school and they've got that video by the meat council? It's absolute genius! When you actually think about it, it doesn't make any sense. For me, I just don't know how people can [eat meat]. And I'm really against telling people what to do. If anything, I just say to people that I've been a vegetarian for a couple of years and yeah, it just enhances my quality of life. It just seems odd how people can love their dogs so much and then tuck into a roast dinner.

What do you know about factory farming, and did that have an impact on your decision to stop eating meat?
Yeah, it was because when I did a little search on the Internet and I came across your Web site, it just really opens your eyes. I hate the way that animals are treated. I am a bit of a big softie at heart and I really love animals, and that's why I don't eat them. My favorite animals are the ones that people generally eat.

Do you think it's important that people take the time to find out where meat really comes from?
Yeah, I think people are starting to do that, and I think it will just be a gradual change. Because, again, you can't force these things on people. My nan became vegetarian after like 70 years! I went past this one burger place, and it had these two plastic cows outside. I thought it was just so bizarre that there were these kids playing with them, and they're like, "Aah! They're really cute," but then they're going to go in there and eat them! It's so bizarre. I think that because it's all so packaged into something completely different that it doesn't even look like what it is—a burger doesn't look like a cow.

So what is your favorite veg meal?
Hmm … I still love all the dinners I used to like as a meat-eater! I love a roast dinner, and I always used to like the vegetables and roast potatoes, and now I do loads more roast vegetables like parsnips and carrots. And you know, I love bangers and mash, and I just use vegetarian sausages! Shepherd's pie, except with vegetarian mince rather than, like, dead sheep in it!

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Thanks, Roy from Scouting for Girls!