People say, oh it's a shame, you're not nostalgic about the '60s. Well actually, it's quite good, when you think of it. Wouldn't it be sad if I was sitting here wishing it back?

I've always liked pop music. There was a bit of a misunderstanding with the avant-garde rock scene, because I think I was sort of swimming the wrong way, really.

I have never felt in tune with the whole rock industry.

What I like about popular culture is its accessibility, and I've covered popular songs because they are amazing things.

People who had empires, unfortunately, want them back eventually, somehow, someway.

I stopped drinking a few years ago, and drinking was a big help with me making music, because drinking gives you courage. But it also makes you reckless, and that's the trouble. You can get away with that your 20s, but not in your 60s, and I'll be 70 next year. Life is a small space now, much more intimate. I'm not out there in the world anymore, but I'm watching.

Im not, by nature, a collaborator. My biggest influences were people like painters and poets. These are solitary workers.