He was probably the better guitarist growing up. I have a vibrato similar to Queen's Brian May, whereas his is more Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac, so we can't do the same thing. He's very clever with tones and amps; sonically astute. I'm not. I just plug in and go for it. Dan loves being a rock star, as he doesn't know anything else. It suits him that I get a lot of the attention. Sometimes he laughingly moans about it, but he doesn't have to worry, as he's the good-looking one. When The Darkness broke through with our 2003 album Permission to Land, it was like a vindication for Dan, as he really thought we were the best. He's always had this sort of arrogance that comes from belief. The success made him more driven, whereas I wanted to stop for a bit, which I did in 2006 when I left the band to get healthy. It's not true we didn't speak for two years. We just didn't make the effort to keep in touch. It was a shame, but we've made amends for it. We don't respond to catastrophic things the way others do. In 2011, while Dan was producing our third album Hot Cakes, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He found out on a Thursday, and had a ball lopped off on the Sunday. He's very resilient. I live in Switzerland with my wife and daughter, while Dan lives in Norfolk with his three kids. He's fully embraced the English country gentleman's lifestyle. He's very horsey, and has Tweed jackets. Perhaps you'll see him rambling through a forest with a stick and a dog. As part of that lifestyle he has an AGA stove. His roast potatoes are good, but they taste a bit arm-y, a bit human fleshy around the edges.

Dan will do anything for his family. He's really dedicated to that, which is quite impressive. He is a great dad, husband, uncle and number-two son. DAN: Justin's a mystery, really, because he's extremely flamboyant and outgoing on one side, and very hermit-like on the other. He never seems to be anywhere in between. As kids, the least fun thing about sharing a room was one time when I was annoying him; he dragged me from the top bunk. I fell out and landed on my head. I could have had a spinal injury. Served me right, though. When The Darkness broke through, it was like a vindication for Dan. The success made him more driven, whereas I wanted to stop for a bit. At high school, he was considered one of the craziest people. When he was about 14, he went to school dressed as Y-fronts man, wearing a pair over his trousers. He also wore a cape. It's the stuff of legend where we grew up.

We both mucked around with instruments but, by age 12, Justin took it seriously. He had guitar lessons for about a year, after which the teacher said he could not teach him any more. His playing was phenomenal. He has this ability to focus like you would not believe. In my late teens I moved to a flat in London. Justin would visit from northern England, where he was studying music technology. We'd party, go mental. I shared the flat with other musicians. It wasn't a big place, so Justin and I slept in the same bed. He used to grind his teeth; I'm sure it had a link to sexual frustration. Justin's obsessive about things he likes. He's quite into fashion and could have been a stylist. He designs his own clothes, like the cat suit he's wearing, and hunts down images that inspire him. He has this amazing woman, Angela, in Canada who makes outfits for him. Every couple of years he has a cull and throws everything away. Clearing the decks, I suppose. What he can't bear to get rid of, though, is his collection of fancy Dior coats. When I had testicular cancer in 2011, Justin came with me to my first chemotherapy session. That says it all. It sounds stupid, but it really brought us back together. It reminded us of what was important. Justin knows me very, very well. He knows when I'm working too hard, which is something I don't notice.

My youngest daughter Darcy, 6, has type-1 diabetes. Late one night recently I was on the phone from Melbourne to customer support in the US to sort out an issue with her insulin, while my sleep-deprived wife dealt with it at home. It's hard being away. Justin knows more than anyone just how stressful my life is when we are not on the road, as I bite off more than I can chew. Lots of people think you are having the time of your life, but sometimes you're just getting through it. If I need proper advice, I'll always go to Justin. I run on instinct but he's not like that, as he's remarkably methodical and thinks things through. He also has the best sense of humour. He's the funniest bastard I know.