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

Playing live, you can't survive, certainly not in England. We used to work daytime jobs and play gigs at night. It was very exhausting.

I'm just thrilled and kind of honored that I still get the chance to do what I love, because that really is the definition of success.

I was in rock music in London when it was the height of Brit pop, with The Kinks revival and Suede and Blur and Oasis, and all of those really great bands that were of a certain style. If I'd really been smart and commercially minded, I would have just got myself a blazer and some Stay Press and some Fred Perry tops, and just gone out and tried to do it like everyone else. Instead, I did this ridiculous thing of trying to do this music.

In a band that works out well, everybody has a certain role to fulfill.

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.

I love playing live, I don't like studios all that much. I need the reaction of the audience.