But then, I suppose, when with the benefit of hindsight one begins to search one's past for such 'turning points', one is apt to start seeing them everywhere.

I discovered that my imagination came alive when I moved away from the immediate world around me.

I want my words to survive translation.

My friends and I took songwriting very, very seriously. My hero was and still is Bob Dylan, but also people like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell and that whole generation.

There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.

The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.

So why not become a mongrel? It's healthy