Whether you're writing a book or a song or whatever, you've got to be involved in it. It's got to come from the heart I think...that's what it's all about.

[The music is about ] for the purpose of getting people to an excitement level. They feel something, they feel emotions. They're going to go home after that concert and remember it.Maybe they got something out of the experience rather than intellectualizing about what songs mean which is the whole head trip.

I went back to Belfast and started a club, the Maritime. No one had thought about doing a blues club, so I was the first.

It's all complete instinct and intuition, and that's extremely difficult to teach.

The job of the jazz people is to take it as far as it will go and that's what they're doing. But in the process of taking it out there, there has to be some times when they're not getting it right. It all depends on what you dig. I personally don't think the fusion of jazz with the heaviness of rock is working.

I learnt from Armstrong on the early recordings that you never sang a song the same way twice.

What I like is natural music. It's like I was born with a gift to do something naturally, which I have no choice but to followup on.