Naggers always know what they are doing. They weigh up the risks, then they go on and on and on until they get what they want or until they get punched.

Without the piano my life would be a disaster - nobody would hold me in any regard. It's the thing that saved me.

I learned from Van Morrison and BB King that the first take is the best. It's about capturing a moment. It's the same as love's first kiss. If you try to do it again, it doesn't work so well.

As a bandleader, I try to pass on the same family values that I grew up with: help people, hang on to your sense of humour, be tolerant and keep your judgments to yourself.

It would be great to have Bach in one corner, Bessie Smith in another, John Lennon in another. That's what I'd ideally like. A studio of the dead.

'The Tube' was the first time the plebs had gone on the television. The lunatics taking over the asylum.

Due to my work, I tend to stay in hotels a lot of the time, and I generally prefer smaller hotels, as you tend to get better service than in the larger hotels.

Amy Winehouse and Paul Weller are examples of poets, I think.

A good example of the modern world is the Eurotunnel. And mobile phones - I like them.

I do so much travelling in my work that my suitcase is always packed, with my passport ready. I rarely unpack, as I am constantly on the move.

Fair only counts with people who are fair.

Careful had never really been her style.

I'm going to tell you the story about the geese which fly 5,000 miles from Canada to France.

My husband says my toes are like Wall's cocktail sausages. He feels peckish whenever he sees them.

People take different roads seeking fulfilment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

There's something beautiful about keeping certain aspects of your life hidden. Maybe people and clouds are beautiful because you can't see everything.

There's some people on the pitch... they think it's all over... it is now!

Politics isn't about big money or power games; it's about the improvement of people's lives.

The only form of fiction in which real characters do not seem out of place is history. In novels they are detestable.

It's good practice to be silly. It's good for you.