Coming back to Yes is like never having left. Even when I have not been in the band, I have always felt part of it.

I learned an invaluable lesson from a kid in Argentina when we were playing Buenos Aires in 2002. I came out of the hotel and this 16-year-old-boy asked me to sign his copy of my Six Wives of Henry VIII album. As I was signing it I asked him 'what does a 16 year-old like about this old music?' and he looked at me, quite hurt, and said, 'it might be old to you, Mr Wakeman, but I only heard it for the first time last week. When you hear something for the first time, it's new.' I've never forgotten that.

My life revolves around music and always will. I need to be a part of music and not an observer.

The studio is not the place to write. You need to be 75% ready when you go into the studio, and then the music can develop to the next stage.

Actually, I only left twice. I left then, and then rejoined literally two years later for Going For The One.

But I'd play on everything from pop records to a lot of the glam stuff to rock stuff to classical stuff. I used to get called to do all those things, it was great.

I was born in 1949 - which seems like a long time ago... Actually, it is a long time ago, when I think about it.