Jon Ronson: ‘It’s getting harder to be optimistic’

Jon Ronson: ‘I’m definitely a grudge bearer, which is an unappetising habit.’ Photograph: Mike McGregor/The Observer

I found childhood quite uncomfortable. The itchy fabric of the school uniform, the bright overhead lights of the classroom, the being in a room with 30 boisterous young Welsh people – all of these things that were intolerable.

There was solace in going home to watch The Tube or to the arts centre that showed Scorsese films – portals into a different world. They gave me glimmers of hope that life could be good.