With every song that I write, I compare it to the Beatles. The thing is, they only got there before me. If I'd been born at the same time as John Lennon, I'd have been up there.

I'm a happy-go-lucky character. I'm not that miserable. But I can never let anyone into my world.

We're not arrogant, we just believe we're the best band in the world.

If I were in the Beatles, I'd be a good George Harrison.

I've always been into guitars... we want to put keyboards on, but keyboard players don't look cool onstage, they just keep their heads down. There has never been a cool keyboard player, apart from Elton John.

Americans are crazy. They have this fascination with throwing their shoes on stage. I've been to a lot of shows in me life, some good and some bad. But I was never moved to take off me shoes and throw it at the lead singer.

With every song that I write, I compare it to the Beatles. The thing is, they only got there before me. If I'd been born at the same time as John Lennon, I'd have been up there.

America is incredibly professional and corporate.

American sports are quite masculine. And football - although it's still played by men all over the world - football compared to American football is quite feminine in its artistry. And there's no padding. It's America's loss, though.

Anything that's of any use, famous people get hold of it and take it for themselves and it gets a bad rap.

Chart positions are for people with manbags who get to work at 11 A.M. because they've been at a digital meeting.

Even in the nineties, when it was mad and there were photographers all around the house, it never occurred to me to send someone else out to get cigarettes. It took me five minutes - went for a walk, gave a wave, went back inside.

Every album I've ever been involved in, on the day that it came out I believed in it.

Fame is something that is bestowed upon you because of success. Success is something you have to chase.

Gone are the days when Virgin Records was owned by Richard Branson, a fan of music. Now they're all owned by some guy who bought it off some guy who bought it off some guy who wants a return on his investment.

Great music is in the ear of the beholder.

I absolutely loved being famous. It was all great, up until the point when it wasn't.

I can make going to the dry-cleaners last an entire day, and the dry cleaners might be 150 yards from my front door. You might find it hard to believe, but I am bone-idle lazy.

I do think my old fella wasn't much of a... I don't remember him ever being a 'dad' dad. He was too busy working. It was a hard life, man.

I don't dislike rappers or hip-hop or people who like it. I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when rap was inspirational. Public Enemy were awesome. But it's all about status and bling now, and it doesn't say anything to me.

I don't fall into the category of tortured artist. But it's not made me more or less anything.

I don't have the genetic make up of a frontman, but I'm learning how to do it.

I don't like being on television when I'm playing live. I don't even like being on Jools Holland or any of them programs.

I don't live to work; I work to live.

I don't think people need to know what colour socks I'm wearing today; I don't think people need to know what shower gel I'm using. There's too much information in the world, and there's no magic or mystery anymore.

I don't think we live in those times when great art comes out of great adversity.

I first came to London when I was 22 and working as a roadie. Having watched the 'News At Ten' all my life, I thought Big Ben was going to be massive, but I was underwhelmed.

I go into Daunt Books in Marylebone every couple of weeks. My wife Sara demolishes books, but I only buy stuff occasionally. I like boys' things, spies and the Cold War.

I have 3 kids and a cat and a busy, noisy house. I get more time to relax when I'm working.

I love the Bee Gees, but only the pre-disco stuff. From '64 to '69, I've got all their albums.

I love the NFL. I don't have a team per se, but I'm into it.

I remember the '70s constantly being winter in Manchester and the Irish community in Manchester closing ranks because of the IRA bombings in Birmingham and Manchester, and you know the bin-workers' strike, all wrapped up in it... They were violent times. Violence at home and violence at football matches.

I'm a little bit of a control freak when it comes to my music, unfortunately.

I'm against people downloading music.

I'm not interested in making money. It's just that with my talent, I'm cursed with it.

I'm not technically proficient enough to attempt all kinds of music.

I'm used to people being a mile away. That suits me. It's more nerve-wracking playing in front of people who are two feet away from me.

I've got my own style on the guitar, sure, and I play rhythm in a certain way, and I use certain inflections. People have said that to me, and I understand it.

I've grown to love California: It's the dream of every English musician to come here and work in the sunshine. To walk up Sunset Boulevard, knowing you're going to make music - that's it.

I've never been asked to do a collaboration. I guess I just don't give off that come-and-get-me vibe. I wouldn't be adverse to doing one with Coldplay or U2 - anyone who sells 50 million albums.

I've never felt like I had anything important to say.

I've never understood musicians who don't enjoy doing promotional interviews. I just can't believe it. I always think, 'Your life must have been so brilliant before you were in a band.'

If I can give you any advice, it's this: every hour that you spend sat on the couch doing nothing, put it to good use, because when you have kids, an hour is like a lifetime.

If everyone in the music business were brutally honest about what their intentions were then you could sort things out, but it's all smoke and mirrors.

In business, you can have one massive success that earns $50 million overnight, and that's it. You're successful. End of story. But in the music business, you have to keep on doing it.

It's a sad state when more people retweet than buy records.

Kids and family life are only as good as your wife, and she's amazing.

Music is a thing that changes people's lives. It has the capacity to make young people's lives better.

My first instinct when I write songs is not a negative one. It's something positive... Everything I've ever done has some form of hope in it, I think.