“I never liked jazz or anything else. Early rock n’ roll – that was music to me. Everything else was boring.”

I listen to everything from Ravel to the Bee Gees.

Bomber’ was the first song I wrote about war.

I don’t really admire musicianship per se – as is obvious from my own playing.

I wanted to be a farmer; actually, I wanted to be a horse-breeder. And I had the stallions… but then I heard Little Richard, and that was it.

You can’t win fame; you have to earn it. If you’re given fame without working for it, then you’re not going to be ready for it.

I saw the Beatles play the Cavern in Liverpool when I was 16. They had attitude: Onstage, they were like a four-headed monster.

I dislike religion quite intensely. It’s been the cause of all the grief in the world ever since they discovered the first stone to worship.

All my dreams came true. There’s not many people that can say that. I mean, most people have to work in a job they hate all their lives, and I can’t imagine that.

I don’t like people’s table manners. That really puts you off eating food.

In every kid’s life, there’s about three or four years when you’re at liberty, and after that, you have to get a job because you’re getting married or you have to support your parents or whatever it is.

I make a very good steak.

My advice wouldn’t be good to anybody. I don’t see it really being greeted with thunderous applause.

I’ve always been alone. I grew up alone. I like it that way. Even when I’m in an arena surrounded by 10,000 people, I’m alone in my head.

I like hard, aggressive music.

I once fell through a hole in the stage.

I learned that if I had known how much of this Nazi memorabilia there was to collect, I never would have started in the first place. It’s crowding me out of my house.

And I think you sort of switch on their brain, man, so that makes them say: ‘Wait a minute, maybe I can do anything.’ Whoooooo! It’s life.

I like any reaction I can get with my music. Just anything to get people to think.

I am the Lizard King. I can do anything!

I like any reaction I can get with my music.

Listen, real poetry doesn’t say anything; it just ticks off the possibilities. Opens all doors. You can walk through anyone that suits you.

It’s never really fun to have to cry in a scene or anything like that.

I don’t want to live anywhere where I’m breathing two million cars’ fumes and paying a zillion dollars for the right to be totally hassled.

I direct, and I make movies I can’t finance. I can’t raise money. I can’t sell anything. I make things.