“I’m always shy in front of an audience, so I’m always at the back, in the shadows, just doing it. I don’t like the front, the adulation.”

I always say that I am very proud of the work that I did with the Rolling Stones and that I am also proud of what I have done with the Rhythm Kings.

The meat in the sausage has got to be Conservative.

I’m not a musician, I just play bass.

My first record I owned was by Les Paul.

Everything had to be done in-between Stones time.

All of my books are about researching. I do all the research and I give it to a writer who can put it in the written word better than I could.

You’re always frustrated, you don’t have the chance to do a song on the album, like the Beatles did with Ringo and George, or like Led Zeppelin, where everybody was given a chance to contribute. There never is a chance with the Stones.

Because of the fashion, the young people don’t have any access to the history of music, unless people like me revive it. There are very few people to revive it, because you can’t earn any money doing it.

You never know what your next dig is going to find.

It’s all right leaping about the stage when you’re 20 but when you get to 25 it gets a bit embarrassing

With the Rhythm Kings, I can involve myself in arranging and producing the music as well as the choice of songs.

I have very interesting hobbies like archeology and photography.

The Stones always tried to do the odd smaller gig when they could.

I live in a house that was built in 1480. It has a moat around it. It is like a little baby castle.

I always got great respect as a bass player.

In whatever adulation you get, there’s truth and there’s not truth. And wherever they dog you, and they say it was horrible – there’s truth and there’s not truth. It’s human nature to like to read the adulation more.