I was just a punk kid, trying to get a sound out of a guitar that I couldn't get off the rack, so I built one myself ... I wanted a Gibson type of sound but with a Strat vibrato .. I went to town painting it and I put three pickups back in, but they don't work - only the rear one works

Holdsworth is so damned good that I can't cop anything. I can't understand what he's doing. I've got to do this [does two-hand tapping], whereas he'll do it with one hand.

If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that’s a wonderful thing.

There's a plaque on our wall that says we've sold over 65 million albums, and I don't feel I've accomplished anything. I feel like I'm just getting started.

I'm just a guitarist in a kick-ass rock and roll band. What more could I ask for?

It's always about the music, never about anything else.

Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.