Dave Taylor on his punk past, cycle rickshaws - and why he loves being Lord Mayor of York...

Well, no, actually.

He will turn up at some events in a cycle rickshaw, promises Dave Taylor. And when going about his personal business, he'll mostly cycle - as usual. "Although the Civic Office will not permit me to cycle wearing the chains of office!" he says. "They're valuable, and they could get caught up."

But there are members of staff employed to drive and look after the limo. And it's the only civic vehicle big enough to transport the whole civic party to functions. "So DN1 will be employed as usual," he says.

It won't be the only item of 'business as usual' about his term of office.

The traditional Mayor-making ceremony has already gone ahead as normal, complete with costumes and pageantry.

Cllr Taylor and his Lady Mayoress, Susan Ridley, did depart from tradition a little by dressing all in black for the occasion - right down to black cuffs and jabot, the ornamental ruffle on the front of his costume.

But he enjoyed the pageantry, he admits - and thinks it is important in a city like York. "York has a history and a heritage stretching back centuries, and the ceremony and pageantry are part of that continuity."

What's more, while he's already pledged to be the 'greenest Lord Mayor in the North', he isn't going to ram his Green politics down anyone's throat, Cllr Taylor says: that's not what being Lord Mayor is all about.

Pageantry: Cllr Taylor on Mayor-making day

"The Lord Mayor represents the city: he doesn't represent my party or any other political party."

Nevertheless, those hoping the city's first Green Lord Mayor might be just that little bit different won't be entirely disappointed. There will still be plenty to mark out Cllr Taylor's year in office - as you'd expect from a man who was once bass player in a punk band called Untermensch, isn't above dressing as a Goth, once campaigned against the introduction of charges at York Art Gallery - and has a wonderfully eccentric hairstyle that resembles nothing more than the wings on a Viking's helmet.

While he won't be overtly political, the simple fact of him being the city's first Green Lord Mayor will raise the profile of the party and the issues it stands for, he says - it will demonstrate, if nothing else, that the Greens are an important part of mainstream politics.

There will also be the chance to make broader, non-Party Political statements on wider issues close to his heart.

Campaigning against charges at York Art Gallery

He has already, for example, added his name as co-signatory to a letter in today's Press decrying the activities of far-right protestors in the city centre at the weekend, and welcoming refugees.

Then there will be his choice of events to supports throughout the year: one which is likely to reflect his character and beliefs. You can expect a few environmental events to find a place in his diary - plus some of the kind of fringey events that perhaps normally don't make it onto a Lord Mayor's radar.

There will be that cycle rickshaw, of course - which will make quite a statement. And there's also the selection of charities he has chosen to support.

One is the York Civic Trust. That might seem a little establishment and crusty for an ex-punk/ Goth, he admits: but the organisation has done great work in protecting the history and heritage of York. "The Civic Trust once gave £70,000 in barrister's fees for fighting the council and Land Securities over Coppergate II." He was himself heavily involved behind the scenes in fighting what he calls that 'hideous' proposal - and hasn't forgotten the civic trust's role.

His second charity is what you might expect from York's first Green Lord Mayor - St Nick's, which looks after St Nicholas Fields and the York Environment Centre.

Goth-tastic: in goth guise during his pre-Lord Mayor days

Then there are two charities which reflect his radical side and his love of social justice and diversity: the York LGBT Forum (which provides a voice for York's lesbian, gay, bi and trans community), and the York Racial Equality Network. "York is for everybody," he says. "I wanted to do something to celebrate diversity."

So who exactly is York's first Green Lord Mayor?

He was born and brought up in Rochdale - and yes, he admits, that did lead to the expected ribbing at Mayor-making. His dad was an electrician, trades unionist and Labour Party man. As a 17-year-old, the young Dave saw Tony Benn speak - and it almost won him over to the Labour cause. "I wrote to my local Labour Party offering my services, but they never wrote back. It was a lucky escape!"

He didn't lose his youthful interest in politics, however. That punk band 'Untermensch' was in one sense a call to arms, he says.

The word 'untermensch' was the term the Nazis used for those they decided were 'inferior'. Dave's band, which he joined while still at school in Rochdale, set out to reclaim it. The idea was to try to undermine the word's vile connotations, he says - while at the same time inspiring Rochdale's youth to action.

"The idea was that if we could play music, what could they do? We were trying to encourage young people to get off their backsides and do something."

Unsurprisingly, when he went to university in Salford he chose to study sociology. He also joined another band, Sister Rain - which had some success.

"We released two records, and the first was played on John Peel four times."

It was the late 80s. He'd finished university, and the band toured extensively - including France and Germany. "Being a rock star was my first career choice!"

But it didn't last. He wanted to buy a house with Chris, the girl he'd met at university.

So he got a 'proper' job, programming computers for a company called British Vita - and found he enjoyed it. "It was interesting - about solving problems."

He moved to a similar job with a different company, based in Warrington - then, in 1993, came to York, as an IT consultant with City of York Council, originally on an 18 months contract.

He fell in love with the city. He'd visited once, as a child, with his parents. One of the things he remembered was buying a certificate at York Minster. "It stated that the sum of money I had donated kept the Minster running for the period of one minute," he says.

The new Lord Mayor in full regalia - including black cuffs and jabot

Coming to work in York as an adult, he found it had everything he wanted out of city life, but on a scale he could manage. "Everything was all around me, in walking distance." When he was offered a permanent job in the council's IT department, he jumped sat it.

After a while, he moved to become marketing director of the York Inward Investment Board - and it was while there that he became involved in the Castle Area Campaign, which opposed Coppergate II.

Because of his position, he could only work behind the scenes, he says - and when approached by the Green Party to print a leaflet for them saying something along the lines of 'vote Green if you oppose Coppergate II', he turned them down. "I said 'no', we will print a leaflet that says 'vote for anybody who is against Coppergate II."

It wasn't the most auspicious beginning to his relationship with the Green party. But he made friends with party members, shared their ideals - and when, a few years later, Green councillor Mark Hill stood down and Dave was invited to stand in his place in Fishergate, he didn't hesitate.

"I thought for ten seconds, then said yes."

He was unemployed by that time. But he did some work as an interviewer for the Office of National Statistics - and eventually got the job he has now, as marketing manager at City Screen in York.

It's a job he'll keep during his term as Lord Mayor - though he'll reduce his hours. "Being Lord mayor is a huge commitment."

Sadly, Chris - the girl he met at university, who was his partner for 26 years -isn't there to share it with him. She died in 2011.

He met Susan a year ago, at a York pub, The Blue Bell. They hit it off - and she'll be the perfect Lady Mayoress, he says.

"Susie is immensely hard-working."

Plus possibly just that little bit of a rebel. He wasn't the only one, after all, to have dressed entirely in black at the Mayor-making...