The first Decline I did was out of sheer love and appreciation for the music. In 1977, it was more about bands, because punk was a new form of music. It was groundbreaking and political.
I just love music in general. I've been a fan of all different kinds of music since I can remember.
I see a lot of connections between folk and punk music just because they're both subcorporate music - I mean, traditionally.
I think it's a bit of a myth that if you can read music you can write music. It doesn't work like that.
I was looking for the people who were making the music inside the cabinet. I would look in there and see if I could find somebody who was making all this wonderful music.
I can't exactly say why there's not much protest music to speak off. And I know there are acts out there still putting a message in their music.
I was really, really, really enthusiastic as a kid. I was up for anything. I was hugely into music and theatre. I was a big musical theatre kid; I loved reading.
My father was a classical singer of baroque music, and my older sister was in musical theatre, and I thought about doing the same thing but then realised straight acting was for me.
I like the guitar-driven music of Nirvana at its peak. At that point, I thought there was a lot of really exciting music coming out.
I don't want to limit myself musically. It would be really limiting if we'd neglect something we really want to do, like explore other styles of music.
I've been painting and drawing and taking pictures as long as I've been writing music - and I've actually been drawing longer than I've been writing music.
I'd always loved poetry and I'd always loved writing music and composing music, but I hadn't thought of putting the two together until around that time.
Avant-garde music is sort of research music. You're glad someone's done it but you don't necessarily want to listen to it.
I started hitching about the country when I was 16 or 17 years old. I found the music that was played around the country - Irish music - had a particular resonance.
I'm sometimes critical about other artists who come out with something different until maybe I hear the music. If the music is there, then they did their job, and I'll enjoy the CD.
If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music.
I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.
I can't read music. That's not where I come from musically. I come strictly from feeling, and that feeling comes from rock & roll.
When I'm skiing, I listen to electronic music. It's repetitive and let's me get into a groove and crank out the miles.
Political people don't solve stuff - not really. Political people are like guys in pop music.
The people that call me to play on records call me because they think that I will suit their music. And the people whose music I suit are by and large people that I'm a fan of.
