Also, an area that interests me - and it will probably take years to state what I mean - is the period of the rise of democracy, with Tom Paine, which is around the turn of the 18th century into the 19th.

My mother adores singing and plays piano. My uncle was a phenomenal pianist. My brother John is a double bassist. I used to play the piano, badly, and cello. My brother Peter played violin.

I'm not afraid of chaos and I'm happy talking to strangers. I really love not knowing where I'm going.

Once you've done one style, you leave it for a while.

I'm not on the run from anything and I'm not at all clear about what I'm running towards. But as some great writer put it, I want to be certain that when I arrive at death, I'm totally exhausted.

I loathe bad theater and most theatre is very bad because its repetitious, unexciting and, dangerously, it is sometimes praised for those things.

There is a great relief in experiencing the worst vicariously.