On the one hand, the idea of marriage and the sort of traditional family life repulses me. But on the other hand, I long for it, you know what I mean? I’m constantly in conflict with things. And it is because of my past and my upbringing and the journey that I’ve been on.
Younger people are generally more adventurous – they’re more open, more fun – have you met many guys my age? Guys my age are married or divorced or grumpy, fat and balding.
But I love the idea – whether it’s in my work or where I live – exploring new frontier, and I like putting myself in strange places and trying to survive and figure things out and gather up an infrastructure. I like knowing that I could figure out a way to live anywhere.
I don’t affiliate myself with any specific religious group. I connect to different ritualistic aspects of different belief systems, and I see the connecting thread between all religious beliefs.
Things were a lot simpler in Detroit. I didn’t care about anything but boyfriends.
Prince Charles is very relaxed at the table, throwing his salad around willy-nilly. I didn’t find him stiff at all.
Do everything you’re told. Be a good cheerleader. And never, never say, ‘It’s not so bad.’ Say ‘You are almost there!’ And say it a lot.
If I have a problem, I want to work it out, right now.
In everyday life I am quiet and reserved, not the housekeeper type but cool and relaxed. I don’t get up in the morning wearing false eyelashes and I don’t wear fancy underwear when I’m cooking popcorn. I’m a nice little ducky.
I think all of us make the mistake of thinking we’re going to change people when we get together. But we’re not. People are who they are. And people change in their own time.
It amazes me when I talk to people in their early 20s and they’ve never read the classics, things we read as children. When you don’t have knowledge and understanding, then fear rises in you.
I’ve gone from having a huge fan base to losing a huge fan base to having a kind of fluctuating fan base. I’ve always had a core of fans who’ve stuck by me but, depending on the kind of music I do, I end up appealing to certain groups of people and alienating others.
I think there probably was a time when I was less provocative. That’s when I was married.
I’ve read a couple of reviews that say I’m getting harder in my old age but I don’t think that’s true at all. I think that you can’t help but become a little cynical about life and love but I’m still a romantic, I’m still an idealist.
Life’s too short to be bitter, I’m too short to be bitter.
I think you can be defiant and rebellious and still be strong and positive.
I don’t even remember why I called myself an idiot. I can be very harshly critical of myself. It depends on my mood, and obviously it depends on where I am in my life. Yes, embracing myself – I’m working on that.
People who listen to them properly don’t underestimate them. Unfortunately, there’s so much about my career and me that distracts people from the actual content of most of my songs.
Powerful women are a threat in any society which is why I am such a target.
There are moments when I can’t believe I’m as old as I am. But I feel better physically than I did 10 years ago. I don’t think, Oh God, I’m missing something.