When I find a cover song that I like, I'll work away at it until I kind of believe that I wrote it.

London was a real dump in the 70s, when it belonged to me and my friends, because, like most cities, you kind of hand them off. You're in charge for a bit and then you don't go out anymore. You say, "Oh god, it's going to be too crowded."

When punk rock came along, the one thing you were not supposed to be was musical.

I use the name and the thought very, very easily as a sort of comfort - as a kind of comfort, in some way. And in that way, it's just like having a friend, I suppose.

Be a military flier or be in a band; those were the two hippest things I could imagine.

As soon as one of my records goes on, it makes a vast portion of the public nervous. They get spooked by it. To some people who have ears to hear, it's a delightful, refreshing change. But to most of the public, it's a load of homemade-sounding nonsense.

As long as my body holds out, I'll be grooving when I'm 70, and not some sort of horrible spectacle.