Privacy has become the most precious thing. Things have got more cryptic in my writing.
After spending so much time in America, I started travelling with 'In Defence of English Cooking' by George Orwell. It's archaic and old-fashioned in its Englishness and reminds me of home.
In high school, I listened to The Jam, stuff like that, a lot of English bands, really. And then I got into anarcho-punk bands that nobody had heard of.
Being in a band is not about reality - it's a bit of a fantasy. I can't go on stage as my ordinary self and just play - I've got to become my 'superhuman self.'
Did groupies ever interest me? No. I'm a pleasure seeker, and I like going bananas, but that's never appealed to me. I always thought it was a little bit naff.
'The Tin Drum' is one of my favourite books of all time - I've probably got 12 or 15 copies with different covers, different translations - but it's also just about my favourite film.
There are a lot of things about Russian culture, art, music, photography and literature that I'm love with.
There are plenty of cities that have given me the time of my life for a week or two - including Sao Paulo, Paris, and New York - but London has an enduring appeal that keeps on unfolding.
When I was a kid growing up, I lived in a little rural village called Woolton Hill, and the nearest town was Newbury. No bands played anywhere near us, so as much as I wanted to be on the grid and in the loop, I never was.
I used to take 'Visions of Cody' by Jack Kerouac on tour all the time. I don't really love Kerouac, but that book, you could just open at any page and find something incredible for that day.
The best part of touring has to be playing shows.
Never wear a hat and sunglasses at the same time, because it looks like you're wearing a disguise.
I try not to be too realistic. It's better to be over-positive.
I get excited by being in the studio and could never get burnt out in there.
I admire a lot of photographers, but I feel very disconnected from them at the same time. I don't feel I employ any technique like these people in my work. I guess if there's any influence from any of these photographers, it's this: They were concerned only with beauty. Not with 'cool.' I hope I'm doing the same.
When I see my picture in the papers, I imagine that people think I'm a lot more serious than I am. They probably think I'm pretty miserable.
It's a beautiful thing how happy you can be with a few friends, some beaten up guitars, a fire, and a couple of fields.
A freshly pressed suit is a miracle when you're travelling. When your suitcase has turned all your clothes into creased rags, and you've crossed so many time zones that you can't tell a Monday from a Thursday, putting on a freshly pressed suit for breakfast is like spending a week in a spa.
I've started to fall for New Orleans recently. There's real life there, if you know what I mean.
I love all board games, actually, apart from backgammon. I can never remember the rules.
