“Basically it takes me very little time to write a song. If I find myself taking more than an hour to do it I usually forget it, and try something else.”

I am a simple vessel with complex overtones, opinionated on occasions but willing to listen.

Don’t call my lyrics poetry. It’s an insult to real poets.

My Mother set me on the right track, Marty Robbins made me want to write songs, and Jesus Christ did the rest.

Lincolnshire is the Idaho of England. You were either going to drive a tractor for the rest of your life or head for the city to work in a factory.

One reason I quit doing interviews after years and years and years was because I was making things up.

Read books, discover the blues and don’t Tweet.

Captain Fantastic’ was the first album in history to enter the (American) album chart at number one. We did it for a second time after that. Now that’s not a boast, that’s frightening.

My favorite thing is coming up with titles. The majority of the songs I’ve every written I’ve always thought of the title before I’ve written the song.

I like to work quickly; I never like to waste any time. I never write half a song and come back to it later at all. It all has to be done at once. I lose interest if it doesn’t.

My mother’s father taught English literature. When I was about ten or eleven, I could recite Macaulay’s ‘Lays of Ancient Rome.’ While other kids were playing pedestrian war games, I’d be Horatius keeping the bridge.

Elton John’s home is laden with trinkets and books relating to Satanism and witchcraft.

The worst thing about me is that I’ll buy albums and put them away on the shelf and forget that I’ve got them.

Basically, if I ever went and worked on a crime drama or something, it was usually just for the work.

This is why suicide is the a great wrong because by suicide you’re basically declaring, ‘Oh Allah this is too much, I can’t take it anymore!

[John Howard] led the Government. They had the numbers, and just basically automatically went along with the Americans.

The first meeting in 1983 was held in India and I was very off put by her. I just couldn’t abide her, basically.

Once you see your nature, sex is basically immaterial.

My mom used to tell me, I can’t use this phrase on the radio – but basically don’t be one of those dudes hanging on the corner.

All that counts is the truth. Without it you’re basically just juggling people’s daft ideas.

The Way is basically perfect. It doesn’t require perfecting.