READERSVOICE.COM: Do stories differ from country to country? I like Asian stories, like the guy with the raincoat in the elevator, and Asian ghost stories in general. But do you see differences between stories from different countries, like the UK and the USA?

LAZY M: I think that Western culture has homogenised to a very large extent, so there aren’t too many differences between the crazy things that go on in both the UK and the USA. I suppose a couple of differences would be that the stories from the US involve more guns than those from other countries, and the victims in the British stories tend to get into these situations due to being drunk. We love our booze. But I suppose my opinion on this question might change as I continue with the new “Global Horror” mini-series I’ve started. It will be interesting to look back on that once I’m finished with those videos.

RV: Where do you live in London and what’s your daily routine?

LM: I actually live outside of London in a small town called Dorking, but since YouTube is such an international platform it seemed sensible to just say “London”, since everybody has at least heard of it. As for my daily routine, I live up to my namesake and generally wake up later than most people (I won’t embarrass myself by revealing precisely when, haha). On a day when I make a video I usually spend the best part of the day editing. Once I’m finished, I either relax and unwind with my guitar, or I’ll go out drinking with a few of my friends. Sadly, that routine is going to get shaken up a bit when I start my Masters Degree in late September – but don’t fear, I’ll keep posting videos!

RV: What makes a good true spooky story tick?

LM: Some people say that truth is stranger than fiction, but when it comes to a good horror story the same core elements apply to both. I suppose the only difference is that the true stories have to be believable to work, as obvious as that sounds. You’d probably be surprised how often people try to claim that their encounter with a zombie clown (or some other variant) really happened. In the end I think that a well written story is more effective than one that has a spookier encounter, but fails to get you invested. You want to be able to visualise yourself in their shoes. We’re trying to scare ourselves with these stories, after all.

– See Lazy Masquerade on Youtube.
– Copyright Simon Sandall.