I still kind of believe this absurd line that if you have to write it down, it's not worth remembering.

The anti-aging advert that I would like to see is a baby covered in cream saying, 'Aah, I've used too much'

I don't like super-descriptive modern fiction. I like, "Here's what was happening in 1582 all over the planet." Then that gets my imagination going.

It's like you don't know you're making a record unless you're half-killing yourself.

The problem is, when you're working with orchestras, you only get the orchestra for about two hours before the performance to pull it all together, and that doesn't sound like a real collaboration.

I'm into lately being a little less precious about writing and being like, "Okay, what if I just locked myself in my room, pretend that there's someone outside with a gun that's saying, 'Don't come out until you write something.'"

People who are thinking about your music almost as much as you are, that almost never happens.