Someone once said a cynic is just a disappointed romantic. That really, really sums me up.

The most significant New York club for me was Paradise Garage, where they played house music. This was around '84 or '85.

Sex has never been an obsession with me. It's just like eating a bag of crisps. Quite nice, but nothing marvellous.

Every freak has a mother. When I met Marilyn Manson I was struck by how nice he was. People are rarely as weird as you anticipate. Except for Courtney Love-who reminded me of that mad snake in The Jungle Book.

For me, touring is about looking after myself.

We changed the name from Sex Gang Children to Culture Club because Jon Moss, our drummer, went to L.A. on holiday and took some demo tapes with him. -Everyone loved the music but nobody liked the name. I -remember getting a postcard from Jon from L.A. saying, "I don't think America's ready for the Sex Gang Children."

I try to exist in a world where there is freedom of opinion, where you're allowed to make jokes. I don't want to live in some PC world where no-one's allowed to say anything.