I realised the bohemian life was not for me. I would look around at my friends living like starving artists and wonder 'Where's the art?' They weren't doing anything. And there was so much interesting stuff to do so much fun to be had... maybe I could even quit renting.

Great artists are people who find the way to be themselves in their art. Any sort of pretension induces mediocrity in art and life alike.

One of the interesting things here is that the people who should be shaping the future are politicians. But the political framework itself is so dead and closed that people look to other sources like artists because art and music allow people a certain freedom.

I was the least Pop of all the Pop artists.

Artists themselves are not confined but their output is.

Artists don't make objects. Artists make mythologies.

Lesser artists borrow great artists steal.

Immature artists imitate. Mature artists steal.

Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain it in anything.

It's usually a big kind of vent of frustration or anger or sadness that puts me in the right frame of mind to write. It's such a cliche to say that artists write when they're down but it's true for me. It's a relief to get out what's eating away at my heart or my soul or my head.

With so many amazing artists on one bill we expect this concert to be incredibly powerful in its ability to raise both money and awareness for the long-term rebuilding effort we must all support.

Success breeds volume and it's just amazing how many young writers artists and musicians there are in town.

The thing that's tricky is sometimes the best voices - just because someone hits the big notes and sounds amazing - it doesn't necessarily mean they make the greatest artists.

I just want to work forever. I absolutely love what I'm doing. I learn all the time from all these amazing artists.

I like what I see now in China but I think the Japanese are a step ahead into craziness and weirdness. I go to galleries there that are the size of a New York elevator and every time I'm surprised by the amazing things I find. I really hope I'll be able to promote some of these artists to show their work in the West.

United Artists wanted to do records with me. I had no idea what a rare thing that was... to make an album. And they put a guy with me working on songs and I got busy with films. I just kind of let it slide. Isn't that amazing?

I was writing a scene where a guy was choking another guy to death. You can go online and type 'chokeholds' and watch scenes where martial artists choke each other out. You can hear what noises they make when they go unconscious see how their bodies flop and everything. YouTube is amazing for the more detailed stuff.