It's pretty hard to make out what's going to be a commercial success and what's not.

I'm not a workaholic, but I was a bit manic, I have to confess.

I have always been fascinated by dark and mysterious stuff. I guess I have a pretty dark and gloomy side. Writing songs saves me from going completely gonzo.

I don't know any musician who got to the top without hard work. Take whoever you want. They all work bloody hard, harder than you think.

Those times when I play on stage in front of lots of people, it's such an unusual and borderline unhealthy process, even though I love it and I really do it with humility. I don't have serfs getting me grapes after, or things like that.

As an artist, you're pretty sheltered backstage. You often don't know what's going on out there.

It's a very selfish time. When I'm here at home, my responsibilities are far greater. I'm forced to be way more selfless. My priorities are so far down the list that it's hard to see them. And yet, when I'm on tour, I basically have to get the show right, every night, but the days are really constructed around selfish activities for self-improvement, or not. That's where I feel guilty because I know that life is going on full-speed when I'm not around.