FROM HIGH SOCIETY TO HUGH HEFNER: THE VIOLIN HAS NEVER BEEN SEXIER THAN IN THE HANDS OF LINZI STOPPARD Why play popular music instead of classical? When I was growing up, my mother was heavily into classical music, while my dad would listen to a lot of rock – Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Santana. Both styles were a big inspiration. I had this idea that I could do something different on the electric violin and fuse the two together. Nigel Kennedy was the first to make the violin a bit rock ‘n’ roll. Was he an influence? Absolutely. I remember in my teens looking up to him and thinking, “Wow, this is definitely a different type of classical music”. He modernised the classical style but I wanted to push it even further than he did. Other influences? Pink Floyd, definitely. I met Dave Gilmour (the band’s guitarist and vocalist) recently at the opening of my father-in-law’s new play, Rock ‘n’ Roll. He’s one of my musical heroes. I was quite starstruck initially but luckily he’s a friend of the family so it wasn’t too difficult. You’ve played everything from Royal Henley to Hugh Hefner’s birthday party. Your favourite? A Breast Cancer Haven charity event at the Natural History Museum. Burlesque artist Dita Von Teese was also doing a performance and it was great to be on the same line-up as her. She was so encouraging and said she really enjoyed my playing style. Any gossip from Hefner’s party? He had his three girlfriends with him and they were all very friendly and sweet. I heard there was a joke going round that he wanted me to play Air on a G string… Ivana Trump’s party at this year’s Cannes Film Festival was also great – she stood opposite me as I played and danced along. You only perform for 15 minutes. Why? It’s better to give little tastebites. The quarter-hour makes it fast-paced and in-your-face. It keeps people interested and leaves them wanting more. Strings to her bow: Linzi’s C.V.If the surname sounds familiar, it’s probably because she’s the daughter-in-law of playwright Tom and health guru Miriam Stoppard. But Linzi, 27, is now attracting attention in her own right, thanks to her sizzling performances on the electric violin. Having played the classical violin since the age of four, she picked up the electric violin in her late teens and hasn’t put it down since. She enjoyed a stint fronting cult American group, Lords of Acid, and founded dance act, Babe Instinct, before going solo a year ago with her unique blend of rock and dance melodies.