Reading's the only thing that allows you to use your imagination.

We were nominated [for Grammy] once before for our album 1916. We were up against Metallica at the time and they had just sold a quarter of a zillion albums.

In my life so far, I have discovered that there are really only two kinds of people: those who are for you, and those who are against you. Learn to recognize them, for they are often and easily mistaken for each other.

It seems that our brave new world is becoming less tolerant, spiritual and educated than it ever was when I was young.

We know what we are doing by now.We seem to make an album every 18 months or so and I think every band should do that. We're not writing "Sgt. Pepper" every time; we are writing straight ahead rock n' roll.

You've got to try to figure out which is the bigger benefit and which is the bigger loser. It nearly killed him [Eric Clapton ]; he was in a very, very bad way for a long time, but he came through it. Most people don't come through it because they don't have the money to buy the people to look after them.

People don't want to see the guy next door on the stage, they want to see a being from another planet. You want to see somebody you'd never meet in ordinary life.