Joan was one of my biggest fans, as was Chrissie Hynde.

My feet never touched the ground. Lots of good groups with crazy and unique images. It was wild. I spent all of my time doing gigs, TV appearances, interviews, or recording. I could write a book - and probably will.

Len and I had parted musical ways and this was one of the problems.

The Pleasure Seekers eventually turned into Cradle, when we started writing our own material. My younger sister Nancy was brought in as singer and I kind of stepped aside as main lead singer and concentrated on my instrument.

I am busy touring all over Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Then my own TV chat show in England in 1989.

Rock and roll mainly but I can play passable jazz also.

Joan was one of my biggest fans, as was Chrissie Hynde.

I also have a big love of classical music played on piano because this is the environment I grew up in my brother being one of the great masters in this world.

I am flattered to have been the woman to have opened the door for female rockers to be accepted into the mainly male industry.

A bass should sound like a bass with the thump of the finger against the wood, like it began with stand up.

I have recorded nine tracks for a new album which I financed myself and am looking for a home for.

After moving to England I did some recording and eventually formed an English band, this was together for quite a few years with only a keyboard replacement. The band had no name, just my name.

I read and write classical piano and percussion, also guitar.

As far as more recognition goes, I am happy with the amount of love and respect I have received from other artists and the public. Of course, I would love more, and think I deserve it.

The bass player's function, along with the drums, is to be the engine that drives the car... everything else is merely colours.

Age isn't a barrier to playing the bass, and I've definitely improved over the years, although maybe I'm not as flash as I once was. But looking back, I can't imagine a life without a guitar.

As Mick Jagger will tell you, performing is an aerobic work-out. I've got the bass guitar, which is the heaviest of all the instruments, and I'm a little girl, in boiling-hot leather under the lights. You have to keep the fitness level up if you want to look good up there.

Bass guitar is the engine of the band.

Be honest, be kind, and share the love.

Ever since I was a child, I've just had this sense that I'm connected to the spiritual world. I thought everyone else felt the same way. I can hear voices - not all the time - but when I'm with certain people, it sometimes comes through.

I always found the road exciting. I liked stinking hotels and freezing dressing rooms.

I am the fourth of five children, and I can't remember a time with no babies in the house.

I can feel things - tap into emotions. When I meet a new person, I know their life straight away. I suppose you could call it a special intuition, but it's my number one quality, and I'm always 99.9 percent right. If I don't like someone, it always turns out to be for a good reason.

I didn't think I was going to change the world for women; I just did what I did. My big thing was that I didn't change who and what I was to become successful. I will not be told what to do; I'm a real independent girl.

I don't care what anyone says, but all children prefer their parents to be together.

I got my first real bass guitar in my hands when I was 14 - a 1957 Fender Precision, which is still hanging on the wall in my front room. I loved the heaviness of it and the feel of the wood. I still do.

I hate canceling anything, I'm 'the show must go on' mentality. If you can crawl, you can take the stage.

I haven't talked to any young artists for a long time. But if we did sit down, I'd definitely tell them my viewpoint. If it was Lady Gaga, I'd say: 'You're talented, and you've obviously got the goods... what the hell are you doing with your image? How can anyone take you serious?'

I just couldn't get into the high school scene at all. I was fat, ugly and weird. I just couldn't do the makeup and the hairdos.

I may have been sexy, but I was covered up total. There was something left to the imagination.

I never, ever saw myself as glam because I didn't wear makeup... my image is a plain leather jumpsuit, which is not glam at all. I've always seen myself as rock n' roll and not glam.

I used to buy scented poetry books on tour and read aloud to the band. Not what you'd expect, huh?

I was a me-ist. I believed in the right to do whatever I wanted to do regardless of gender. Still do.

I was inspired by Billie Holliday, and I really liked Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las because she wore tight trousers and a waistcoat on top - she looked hot.

I would like to live forever in people's hearts and minds; that would be fun. I'll leave the world my art.

I'm a Scrabble nut, and I need something to do while I'm travelling. Scrabble keeps me occupied, I play against myself. I have a high score of 718 that I'm always trying to beat. I'm a good player. You don't want to play me for money, that's for sure.

I'm a bit of a wine snob and like a glass of Chateaux Margaux '82 with a meal or to unwind.

I'm not a great flyer. It's ironic, since I'm in showbiz and have to fly at least twice a week. I try to sleep and blot it out.

I'm one of those rare breed of rock n' rollers with a brain, probably because the brain's still intact.

I'm told I'm an incredible flirt because I don't know I'm doing it. I don't want to even analyse it, but I seduce people, apparently; I suck them in.

I'm totally active. I am just this side of hyper. I jog and go to the gym every day. When I'm on the computer, I'm reading, I'm writing, I'm never quiet. My brain is very rarely not engaged. Every now and again I will fall asleep under the parasol in the sun, but that's a rarity.

I've always maintained that you can be sexy with your clothes on. Sexier maybe.

I've got a quick mouth, and I set my boundaries. Nothing ever happened that I couldn't handle. Once when a guy came on stage making rude gestures, I hit him over the head with my guitar.

I've got more than 600 pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses, from 1950s originals to newer models. I have them on the wall like opticians do so I can pick out a pair that goes with my outfit. I had around 30 pairs, then my husband Rainer started getting them for me as birthday and Christmas gifts.

Inside, I feel 30ish - I'm childish and optimistic.

It sounds corny, but I consider myself an old-fashioned entertainer. I could have been in variety.

Music has always been in my family, but it was mainly keyboards. I learned to play classical piano, but when I first heard the amazing bass guitar of James Jamerson, who played on all the big Motown hits of the '60s and '70s, I knew bass guitar was my instrument.

One of my insecurities was my looks. I was short, cute and chubby, and Dad used to call me his 'little fat sausage.' But I always knew I had musical talent.