I was approached by Oxfam to go to Mali as their ambassador and get involved in their various initiatives out there. But I felt that was missing the point of using me, a musician

Well, as resources inevitably disappear [in Africa], people have to make do with a lot less. You have to be much more ingenious with a lot less, and accept that you can't get your perfect tuna sandwich on a street corner.

Every time I go to Africa, I see the future. I see what the Western world is going to become. It's a very futuristic place.

The Gorillaz cartoons seem more real to me than the actual people on TV. Because at least you know that there's some intelligence behind the cartoons, and there's a lot of work that's gone into it, so it can't all be just a lie

There's need to be some sort of disturbance in your psyche for creativity to be sparked.

My guaranteed way of sending myself into deep depression is to read music trade papers and watch MTV.

If you don't see something as a career but as an important part of your life, you don't know how you're going to feel about it.