I have a long history with Soho: even when I was at art college, I came down to Soho to work in the summer.

Russians have a new freedom, but as long as they don't express that freedom on a public platform.

People always go on about sleaze, but I think it's only a small part of what I write about.

I was quite naïve, a boy from Southport. When I went to art college in Leeds, I lived in a basement flat, and I heard clunking on the stairs all night, and I thought it was just nurses going to work on the night shift at the local hospital! Then I found out it was all working girls upstairs. I suppose I came from a protected background and had my eyes opened wide by that side of city life.

I became the magnet for a lot of scary aggression. Cos it's scary Up North!

When people talk about gender-benders and bracket me with George, I always think I'm not like that. I had more of a rock edge, mixed with the 80s electro.

As soon as one project is finished I like to go straight on to something else.