I had a kind of Dickensian childhood.

I was a teen idol and that has a short shelf life.

My idea of what's good and bad and right and wrong is maybe greyer than most, and I like writing about that.

The propensity to do good things is a choice.

You have this special connection with someone if you're their first record or their first concert or their first poster or whatever it is.

I look at old interviews and things and they say, 'What do you want to do when you grow up?' I say, 'I want to be a producer.' And I'm really fortunate that I was able to do it.

I'm not a big fan of religion for that reason. But I am a true believer in God, and I have great faith, and I think that a spiritual connection with something is a really important part of our experience. That doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the church.

I'm not cynical about marriage or romance. I enjoyed being married. And although being single was fun for a while, there was always the risk of dating someone who'd owned a lunch box with my picture on it.