Making a comeback is one of the most difficult things to do with dignity.
There is no standing still because time is moving forward.
Music is an emotional experience, and that is what imprints itself on the soul. And I think for me, any great art is art which communicates human emotion.
I love touring in the United States. It's dramatically different wherever you go. North to south, you're going from snow to palm trees.
Most of my career has been about standing on a stage performing music to an audience, and once the show is over, they go home and I go on to the next show.
It's true when they say songwriting is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. In truth, what happens is... songs comes through you.
When you are in a band for a number of years you loose your identity in a way. You become a part of that band and then all of a sudden you are not part of that band. You are still the band without the other two members.
When we made that album with Gary Moore, I was still kind of searching for the right direction for myself. Although the music is quite good the direction was like a box of fireworks that caught light all at the same time.
Songs are like children. They are all special to me - you can't just pick a favorite. Of course, 'Lucky Man' was a special tune with a wonderful story behind it. They have all done different things.
I picked up the guitar at 12 yrs old - basically, my mother and father bought it for me for Christmas. I played one at my friend's house; when I say played it, I just played around with it at my friend's house. It just struck me as something I really wanted.
When I was writing my autobiography, these songs came up from time to time which were important to me, and I realized that what they really represented was, they'd come from this age of shared music.
What I learned then was there is a certain power in a three piece band. The more people you put on that stage, the more diluted it becomes.
When you play music with someone who has a heart rather than playing with someone who is just doing it for money or is cynical it makes all the difference.
I just got a call one day from Ringo asking me if I wanted to go out on the tour. It was as simple as that. He was putting together this band and he heard of me in the context of doing this and he gave me a call. I jumped at the chance.
You often hear people say 'Luck is self made.' I think it is, to a certain extent; if you work hard on something, you are more likely to be lucky than if you don't. That having been said, I do believe during in my career I have been at the right place at the right time with the right people.
I don't think art is a goal orientated business. I don't do things for the challenges, I only do them because I love them, I'm not really a goal orientated, achiever type of person.
I feel with ELP that I wasn't making the most of my life and I wasn't making the most of my creativity. I was marking time. I don't want to do that. Life is to short.
Unless you go forward then you are going back.
The early ELP albums were pioneering in a way.
The greatest music is made for love, not for money.
