Somebody curse the light And take me far away from myself

I've always gravitated towards opera, and the Royal Opera House is quite possibly the greatest opera house on earth.

I have managed to eke out a good and substantial existence. I'm not shoveling gold bricks or anything, but I do very, very well.

I wish I could just relax sometimes and make some money, but I always feel like I have to prove some kind of big, profound point.

I think my imagination and my passions are still firing away, but it's really the body that starts to make up the rules. It's not a major problem; it's just when you get a little older you realize how much your body thanks you when you are good to it.

Writing an opera and premiering in England, you could say I was going right into the eye of the storm and I came out successfully. A little tattered and bruised, but so what, I made it.

I've been thinking of trying my hand at rap. I've been recording snippets on my BlackBerry.