On growing up in Melbourne:

My parents are divorced, so both of them moved around a bit. Dad lived in Burnley and Richmond and mum was in Ashburton, Ivanhoe and Glen Iris. I had 12 different houses before I finished high school. Most of them were in Melbourne, but I lived in Bendigo for about a year.

I used to live opposite Burnley station. I was a little hood rat – I’d cruise around on my BMX all day with my blue pegs and bunny hop around the place like a boss. It [my bike] was custom. I had Mongoose handlebars, it was bad arse, I remember it well.

I got a detention once because a kid dobbed on me for jumping the railway fence. And because I’d been in trouble quite a few times they pinned it on me.

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On fare evading:

I also got busted [fare evading] by a Met cop once. I was with my little brother and we ran but he caught us! We thought we’d got away and he actually caught us. He was a big fat dude and he actually yelled, “freeze!” like a cop. I was, like, a kid though, so I was freaking out.

On the school tuckshop:

I remember we used to get three lollies for 5c and now it’s 25c for one green frog or something. You used to get 10 for $1 and now you get four.

My favourite thing at the tuckshop was pasties, man, they still are. I’m obsessed with them – Four and Twenty pasties. Back in the day they would have been about $1.20 or something.

On coming home:

I miss lots of things about Melbourne. I really miss the food. I feel like you can be healthy and full at the same time. Everyone talks to you here, too, which is really nice, but you don’t always want to have a personal conversation, you know?

Chet Faker is playing at Listen Out Festival this Saturday in Melbourne. You can catch him at 5.45pm on the Atari stage. Other acts playing Listen Out include Flume, ZHU, Ta-Ku, and Four Tet.

*As told to Nicholas Acquroff.

For more information, visit listen-out.com.au