The irony is that musical artists have enormous public voices, but behind the scenes we're voiceless, actually.

I don't do anything in order to cause trouble. It just so happens that what I do naturally causes trouble. I'm proud to be a troublemaker.

Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. We aren’t merely objects of desire.

I understand that we are actually complicated people but we are also dreadfully simple.

I don't believe in any kind of artistic snobbery or musical snobbery. You know, to me, the sexiest and the most spiritual words ever uttered in rock and roll are wop babaloo balop bam boom.

Maybe it was mean, but I really don't think so. You asked for the truth and I told you.

When you dishonor the the utter glory and majesty of black people, you lie. Your heart lies to you and you let it

I grew up in a situation of extreme abuse, but there was no chance to talk about it, so music became the escape if you like.

At some point the entire population of the earth is gonna have to look back at the kind of essence of spirituality which is basically caring about each other.

We have a tradition of passing our history orally and singing a lot of it and writing songs about it and there's kind of a calling in Irish voices when they're singing in their Irish accent.

When I kissed you, you didn't mind. I thought I tasted of too many cigarettes, but you tasted like wine.

You can't hammer in a nail with words...""No, but you can start a war with them.

To be a best friend, the best word to live by is reciprocity.

Only boring people get bored.

Hope is the last thing ever lost.

Life is what you make it so make the best of it.

Fair play is an English word. It is not a French word, and it has been copied all over the world. Unfortunately, it does not function any more here.

Having spent so much time in a fictional world, I prefer to read about the real world

I am very much aware that if I am getting good press at the moment I could just as easily be getting bad press. I cannot have the good and forget the bad. You have to accept it both ways.

I want a hairy little Jewish Princess with a brand new nose, who knows where it goes.

The other side of the globe is but the home of our correspondent. Our voyaging is only great-circle sailing.