Cast your mind back to a time when children’s toys were more about imagination than gimmicky electronics. Remember kaleidoscopes? Countless colourful patterns would emerge, each more vibrant than the last. Before a new shape had time to settle into a fully formed image, impatient hands were already shuffling to create the next. Now imagine a human kaleidoscope, and you’ve got an idea what it’s like spending time with Phil Laak. Conversation with him is breathless. Half spoken sentences never quite reach their destination. His brain has already run off with another thought, image or fragment. Your head’s swirling, leaving you dazed and confused.

Just pinning the man down is a complex operation.