I don't mind being a grandfather; I've been a mother for so many years. You just can't believe what it's like being a father. Especially when you come out of the chaos of the road to getting married and having children.

I remember the first guy who offered me a joint in the bathroom. I said 'No, man, I've got enough problems.'

If it shakes you in the right places, it's Gods gift.

People love Axl [Rose] with the original band, they love him on his own but they want to see him with the original guys.

Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a child?

I do that a lot of authors still do not do is allow people to write directly to me. I get about 50 fan letters a day, and I answer every single one of them myself. It takes a lot of time and sometimes it's a pain in the neck and I answer the same questions over and over. But the truth is these people come to my readings clutching these letters saying, "You wrote me back. I can't believe you wrote me back", and I think it really means a lot for them to know that the author values them just as much as they value the author.

Great melody over great riffs is, to me, the secret of it all.