There’s this British elegance that we, at times, have really missed in the States. We’ve always been more of a sportswear culture.
I wear jeans and a T-shirt sometimes. I just like clothes – since the first time I can remember, like age ten or eleven; I was just obsessed with music and clothes. Just like a lot of people in England from my generation.
I’m fine with being thought of as a guitar player, and if I can get any recognition or respect for doing that, that’s a pretty good thing for me.
If you gave me a fresh carnation, I would only crush its tender petals...
The ’40s were quite austere and super glamorous.
I don’t think about what I can’t do or what I shouldn’t be doing. I just think there are endless possibilities musically, really.
People say that if you’re still angry at 52, you’re not an angry young man, just a grumpy old git.
I think people are just really disappointed, disappointed with Blair as well, who’s just like Bush’s lapdog. I think everyone’s just disillusioned with politics in our country, and it must be the same in your country.
I don’t feel old or young, I just am.
Why not go down the pub? A guy once came up to me at a gig and asked me if I had MySpace. I said, ‘This is my space, and you’re invading it.’
If you’re making music, you must want to turn other people on to it, whether you’re number one in the charts or number 60.
I was always taught as a kid that if there’s anything you want in life, you’ve got to work towards it. I guess that sort of stayed with me, really.
There are areas of music that I’ve never been to before, so that’s always nice thing to have in life. That there are other areas you haven’t been to. You haven’t covered all the ground, and there’s plenty more uncharted territory to cover as well.
The whole thing with eastern music and instruments, I love all that stuff.
If you’re in music, you’re in music, and if you’re in music you just want to keep making records and playing. That’s what it’s about, isn’t it? At least, that’s what I always thought it was about, anyway.
You do your runway show, and it’s all over the Internet before I see anything on there.
There’s more to distract people, isn’t there? When I was a kid there was music and football and clothes. And that was kind of it, really. Those three things defined you as a person.
The Beatles changed the world. They certainly changed my world, and many, many other individuals as well.
I could say that ‘Exile On Main Street’ was my favourite or whatever, but I’m more about the songs and the artists and the sound that they bring.
You can listen to music at any moment in the day or night. Which is great, but I think it kind of devalues it as well.