For me, I'll always stand up for the disenfranchised, and I'm going to make a big point of that. I'm not a protest singer as such, you know? After the endurance course of the early 70s and 60s, I don't want to become one of them twats. But you got to learn to speak the truth.

I love being alive so much. When you come out of comas in your childhood, every moment awake is a joyous occasion.

People think I hate the Royal Family, but that's not true.

The only good political movement I've seen lately was Occupy Wall Street. They had no leaders, which was genius. But unfortunately it always ends up with some hippy playing a flute.

The day I run out of ideas is the day I stop making records.

It seems like the more I punish myself, the better it's been. What it is, I'm relentless and I never give up. I never take the easy way out.

I love pop music. It's not easy to write a good pop song. It may be easier to put out a fake jazz album, as Sting does from time to time.