I used to believe I was going to live forever. And then you suddenly become aware that you’re not.
A lot of people thought I wasn’t doing anything because I was spending a lot of time socialising and going out, but I’ve always managed to get work actually done.
When it comes to the British monarchy, I prefer to be seduced by an image than presented with a real person. It’s kind of a Warhol thing.
When we are no longer children, we are already dead.
I did a butterfly show in Berlin, and we had a guy who’s an expert on butterflies; who bred them all and who looks after them all in the space.
I used to watch ‘Top of the Pops’ when I was a kid and say ‘Yeah!’ or ‘Boo!’ at every single song. So there was nothing in the middle. You brutally put it on one side or another.
I was brought up Catholic, and I felt the power of art from a very young age – seeing the brutality of all those images of flayed apostles and tortured saints was a pretty strong introduction.
Immortality is really desirable, I guess. In terms of images, anyway.
I just wanted to find out where the boundaries were. So far I’ve found there aren’t any. I just wanted to be stopped, and no one will stop me.
In fact, the first piece of art I ever sold, I paid someone else to make the next one, so I could actually keep going out drinking.
But the answer to how to live is to stop thinking about it. And just to live. But you’re doing that anyway. However you intellectualise it, you still just live.
I can’t wait to get into a position to make really bad art and get away with it.
When I used to do abstract paintings at school, like everyone else, the tutor said these would make great curtains. I would always neglect the formal stuff that was going on by using colour, because colour kind of came naturally to me.
The infinite possibilities. That’s what used to do my nut in.
I always ignore money.
You have to step over the boundaries sometimes just to find out where theyare.
The best spot painting you can have by me is one painted by Rachel.
Art is the closest you can get to immortality, though it’s a poor substitute – you’re working for people not yet born – and people want it because it is brilliant. It ends up in museums anyway; the rich have to give it back to the people, it’s their only option. There are no pockets in a shroud.
I don’t really have a career plan.
I liked The Beatles a lot when I was growing up.