“There are very few people I can call real, close friends. They’re very, very precious to me.”

There is far more sensitivity in acoustic guitar players than could ever be compared to any synthesizer. That’s a personal point of view but that’s the way I see it. I think that’s what it’s all about. The drive, the fire, the passion – it all comes out on the guitar.

So many people are frightened to take a chance in life and there’s so many chances you have to take.

Music can always be a life-changing experience, for musicians and fans, or at least life-affecting, but it depends on to what degree.

So far I’ve been very, very fortunate because it appears that people like to hear the music I like to play. What more fortunate position can a musician be in?

There’s too many good musicians around for the music around for the business to be sagging.

Seeing people’s faces, really getting off on them, makes me incredibly happy. Genuinely.

I guess the solo from ‘Achilles Last Stand’ is in the same tradition as the solo from ‘Stairway to Heaven’ It is on that level to me.

Sometimes, I must admit, I’d like to have a second guitarist onstage with me, but it wouldn’t look right. I’d like to play for another 20 years, but I don’t know. I just can’t see it happening. I don’t know why. It’s a certain foreboding. A funny feeling. Vultures.

The gut-strung guitar, the classical guitar, that is a whole different world on its own. When you think what the guitar can do and what every individual player does with a guitar, everyone has their own identity coming through the guitar.

I don’t feel I have to top myself at all.

I don’t go walking into things blind.

I can listen to all different sorts of music. I don’t really care about The Next Big Thing.

I really don’t like showing people how I play things; it’s a little embarrassing because it always looks so simple to me.

There’s always music that moves me. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s within the parenthesis of rock or blues, or whatever. It’s usually far more reaching than that. It can be in many different genres.

I don’t care what critics and other people think.

I’m attracted by the unknown, but I take precautions.

With a best friend, I can build an empire beside.

We couldn’t be friends because God knows we were meant to be lovers. Doomed to never belong to each other.

I think friendships are a lot more valuable than one job. If you’re going to let it ruin that, then that’s stupid.

I’m surrounded by good people, and I surround myself with good people.

A good friend has no limitations on you.

If you’ll believe in me, I’ll believe in you.

Quite a lot of the girls I get photographed with are just friends and then, according to the papers, I have, like, 7,000 girlfriends.

You truly are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with.