If I'm playing a violin thing, for instance, I tend to respond to that sound with the way I finger.

'Triboluminescence' is actually a scientific world meaning striking something and creating light from dark. I thought it was a great word and that is was a very apt metaphor for making music - or any creative act, really. We all start in the dark and have to create light.

Commercial record has never interested me. It's amazing I was in a band like The Police that had such phenomenal commercial success. Part of what made The Police what it was was that we didn't all come in with obvious mainstream musical tastes. We were a rock band and somehow we had to make rock music, but it was informed by a lot of things outside of the mainstream for sure.

Aping what you've already done is just so dangerous and unrewarding.

It is not very practical in today’s world when you tour all over the place having a big band.

I'm just trying to avoid any sort of generic kind of music - I don't want to do generic jazz or fusion.

I am pretty embroiled in moving on and moving forward with music.