I believe Michael [Jackson] in a sense is an American martyr. Martyrs are persecuted and Michael was persecuted. Michael was innocent and martyrs are innocent. If you go on YouTube and watch interviews with Michael, you don't see a crack in the facade. There's this purity and this innocence that continued [throughout his life].

You just do what you love, and then a style happens later on.

I am not God. But I can only do my role here on this planet. The role I feel I was given since I was a kid was to be making art and I only wanted to give and I never let money be my God.

Pictures are an escape. They should be bigger than life. In the same way, celebrities provide an escape from the mundane. They are photographed so we can worship them - so they are worthy of our worship.

I never want people to be repulsed with my pictures; I always want to attract people.

I believe in a visual language that should be as strong as the written word.

I'm part of what I consider the entertainment industry. For my photos to be entertaining, they have to be provocative and new.