I haven't made a good album in a long while. Not since 1976 and Blue Moves. If there is a better singer in England than Craig David, then I am Margaret Thatcher. [After being asked about his sexuality in the 1970s]: I think people should be free to engage in any sexual practices they choose; they should draw the line at goats, though. Nowadays, record companies want the quick buck from the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, S Club 7, Steps. They've always been around, I'm not knocking the music perhaps, but it's like packets of cereal. There are too many of them, too many of them are just mediocre. And I think it damages real people's chance, real talent, of getting airplay. It's just fodder. There's so much you're expected to do and you follow a pattern. You make a record, you do a video. I like to break the rules a little bit more and I did in the 1970s, I should try a little bit more now. [About Madonna]: Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay £75 to see them should be shot. That's me off her Christmas card list. But do I give a toss? No. [After breaking his fingernails by playing so hard]: If I had one finger left, I'd play for you. [About Live 8]: I thought it was a bit of an anti-climax, to be honest. The thought behind it was fantastic, but Hyde Park is a charisma-free zone. There was no sense of occasion and from a musical point, I didn't think there were too many highlights. I was very pleased to be a part of it, but I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the first one. How could it be? [On his unsuccessful 2004 studio album, "Peachtree Road"]: It is probably one of my lowest-selling albums of all time. It was disappointing everywhere in the world, so I have to hold my hands up and accept that the songs just didn't connect. I'm proud of "Peachtree", but, if I think about it logically, people may have ten or twelve Elton John albums in their collection already. Do they need another one? I had a hell of a time last year [2004] and this is the end of it. I haven't spoken to Madonna since. She's been in Kabbalah meetings ever since. I don't think I'll ever be forgiven for that one. Then I had the George Michael-thing and the Victoria Beckham-thing. I will keep my mouth shut now. [On performing at the Colosseum in 2005]: I love places that have an incredible history. I love the Italian way of life, I love the food, I love the people, I love the attitudes of Italians. [About his marriage to Renate Blauel]: I regret it to this day because I was not honest with Renate. I married her while I knew that my truth was different. I find her a beautiful woman, she could have ruined me financially but she hasn't done that. That is what I call true friendship. I've always wanted to smash a guitar over someone's head. You just can't do that with a piano. The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star. My voice has gotten deeper and it's all down to when I was living in Australia. I could speak and only barely sing. Deep down I knew that something was chronically wrong with my voice. It was polyps. The first thing the doctor said to me, "You smoke a lot of dope, don't you?" I gasped and said, "How do you know?" The doctor said, "I can tell by the way you're talking. If you're a singer, the worse thing you can do is smoke dope." We did the operation in Australia and it lowered the timbre of my voice. It's deeper, has more resonance and it's stronger. I used to be a piano player who sang and now I'm a singer who plays piano. I've never lived in a time so vexing. I just want to scream. It's a nightmare. Bush (George W. Bush) and this administration are the worst thing that's ever happened to America. I'm just as angry at Tony Blair. You lied to us Tony. It was like - these idiots think they can get away with anything! I voted for Tony. He's basically a nice guy. What happened? Is it because power does that thing to you, that you isolate yourself? It enrages me that people can just smirk their way through it." (November 2004). If I was to say what I am, I'd be a Labour man. I like Tony Blair a lot, I think he's a good man. And in America I'd definitely be a Democrat; I'd never be a Republican. One government all the time isn't great for a country. I think it's very hard to be in power for a long time, I think you lose touch. If Cameron (David Cameron) can bring a strong opposition to the Labour Party, then I think it's healthy and I'm all for it. Every artist who makes it goes through a period where it seems they're invincible. We've seen it with Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna and Prince. It just seems like they can't fail. And then suddenly everything levels off. I knew it when it started happening to me. I was really tired, I knew I was peaking. I knew it was time for someone else to take over. You have to be realistic about these things. I want to bring my songs and melodies to hip-hop beats. It may be a disaster, it could be fantastic, but you don't know until you try. "I've dodged so many bullets. Not just because of unsafe sex, but because of the amount of drugs I did, the amount of alcohol, the amount of work I was doing. I started the Elton John AIDS Foundation because I got so lucky."