The American singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous, who released five sad and brilliantly beautiful albums under the name Sparklehorse, was an icon in the underground alt-country scene, working with artists like Tom Waits, PJ Harvey, Radiohead and Danger Mouse.

His music was glorious and fragile: preoccupied with darkness, death and decay, but sprinkled with sunny melodies that pierced the gloom. When the news filtered through the indie community in 2010 that he had had died, tributes to his flawed genius flooded in from around the world. He was only 47.

The vibe around the Partick pub named in tribute to Linkous’ band is, mercifully, not generally reflective of the mood contained within his music. It’s a traditional boozer that, on a Friday night, thrums with the pregnant chatter of Partick’s indie kids -mostly bespectacled, mostly shabby-haired, mostly sipping pints and talking records and literature. It’s that kind of place: a pub to suit the muso. Its soundtrack of cosmic country and Americana is the perfect backdrop to a bourbon-soaked back-and-forth.

The bar does have hipster heritage: it’s co-owned by Sci-Fi Steven, of Glaswegian indie-poppers Bis, and members of Belle and Sebastian (not to mention various other local bands) are regulars. In keeping with their bookish image, the West End seven-piece endorsed the Monday night quiz in an interview with Drowned in Sound last year. “A certain faction within the band enjoys nothing more than a pub quiz,” said keyboardist Sarah Martin, “and there is no better quiz than one hosted by [co-owner] Craig Steel. “we had a pretty good winning streak, up until Stuart [Murdoch, the band’s frontman]'s son was born.”

At least it means they can enjoy the pub’s baby disco: a Sunday afternoon rumpus where toddlers and parents alike shimmy to the sound of ‘90s indie classics. What’s not to love about that?

Which celebrity would be best at running the country?

1. Justin Allan, 21, Glasgow, “Hugh Grant: he has a good nineties haircut, and that’s important.”

Mark Levy, 21, Glasgow, “Shania Twain: she’s got the moves, and she’s got the touch.”

2. Anna Bryant, 36, Glasgow, “David Hasselhoff – he brought down the Berlin Wall”

Gary Craig, 38, Partick, “ Homer Simpson: he’s down-to-earth and a bit silly”

3. David Leonard, 35, West End, “Gordon Ramsay: he takes no nonsense.”

Hollie Leonard, 31, West End, “Pinkie & the Brain, ‘cause they’re going to take over the world.”

4. Lois Marshall, 33, Glasgow, “Judy Murray: she can deal with high-pressure situations”

5. Nina Hallsjo, 26, Glasgow, “Brian Cox. He’s awesome.”

Sarah Karodia, 26, Glasgow, “Richard Osman, from Pointless. He has all the answers.”

Patrik Hallsjo, 25, Glasgow, “Stephen Hawking: he’s the exact opposite of Trump’s ignorance.”

6. Maureen Atkinson, 61, Glasgow, “Ewan McGregor – he knows a lot about politics.”

Candy Munro, 58, Glasgow, “Dave Anderson: he’s passionate and funny.”

7. Promilla Caughey, 41, Glasgow, and Nino, 9, “Shakira: she cares about the future generation.”

8. Donald MacDonald, 27, Glasgow

Favourite Club? Sub Club

Favourite Bar? The Sparkle Horse

Favourite DJ? Innes Strachan

Favourite Band? Niteworks

What you Drinking? St. Mungo’s

First Club? Bakoo, in Inverness

Describe Your Dancing? Erratic

9. Zander MacGregor, 25, Glasgow, “Jon Snow from Channel 4 News. He’s my hero.”

Lauren Inglis, 26, Glasgow, “Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘cause he cares about climate change.”