My generation in the UK, they're very apathetic, a lot of them.

I would say Tony Blair is very much a lapdog. I'm terribly scared that when he finally goes - and we can only hope it's soon - that he will be remembered for all these terrible things that he's done. Which is kind of a scary thing for a Labor Prime Minister.

I think the US and the UK are gradually growing closer together in a lot of ways. They're inextricably linked.

I want to be accessible to a certain type of person who wants to walk around with their eyes open, or at least is open to the idea of change.

Music is politics - it always has been and it always will be.

If you are a Steve Earle and you're up on a platform and there are people out there listening to you, say something to them. Tell them something valuable. Tell them something they need to know. It doesn't have to be dictatorial, it just has to be informative.

It would be a horrible business, a horrible sort of culture if you didn't have the candy pop as well as the real hard-hitting stuff. And I love some pop music.