Coming from having absolutely nothing to having a few grand in the bank, it was a big culture leap. I think that's why I went off the rails a bit really, 'cause there was no training for it. They didn't do fame in schools.

My life has been, I suppose, the most incredible series of highs and lows.

I'm busy and that's the way I like it - when I have too much downtime I get into trouble.

We were the only black family in an estate with 1,000 white families. Liverpool being quite racist in the Sixties, it was a bit grim growing up.

British fans are exceptional, but the American fans are something else. Some of them fly 500 miles to stand in line for three hours, just to meet me, then when they do they collapse.

I have a stepladder. It's a very nice stepladder but it's sad that I never knew my real ladder.

The inventory process and stepping back in your life can sometimes be a very dark process. But it also can be extremely funny and surprising.