"I've got used to signing autographs for 13 year old Kayleighs." "Going through parks listening to Joni Mitchell, Lavender is the little boy's dream about you can walk through the park and bump into the lady of your dreams that you're going to fall instantaneously in love with." "'Kayleigh' was a way of saying sorry. I had a lot of relationships that basically I'd wrecked because I was obsessed with the career and where I wanted to go. I was very, very selfish and I just wanted to be the famous singer but I was starting to become aware of the sacrifices that I was making, and I think that Kay was one of those sacrifices. 'Kayleigh' was not just about one person; it was about three or four different people. The 'stilettos in the snow' was something that happened in Galashiels, when I can remember we were both really drunk and, you know, dancing under a street light, and 'dawn escapes from moonwashed college halls' was part of the Cambridge thing." "There came a lot of pressure upon us. They wanted Kayleigh part II. Because Misplaced Childhood was a big album. And Clutching at Straws had not sold quite as many as Misplaced. And everybody wanted us to break America. I just feel a bit uncomfortable when I am under pressure like that." "I can't get any coverage. I'm over 25 years old, bald, a stone overweight and therefore I'm not relevant. We are getting airplay all over mainland Europe, but I can't get played in the island I come from with my own native language." "You get infected with the cynicism, the negativity, and the apathy that exists in Britain. It's really starting to get to me now." "At 21 I wanted the fame, but what does fame give you? You get the best table at the restaurant, but there are more waiters hanging around looking for bigger tips." "Who writes when they are happy? If you are really happy, having a magical night making love by the side of a Swiss lake you don't stop midway through and say: 'excuse me, I'm feeling so happy I have to stop and write a lyric'. You wait until the whole thing falls apart and then you think back to what it was like." "What I find really disgusting is that the most powerful comment on the Falklands War, 'Pink Floyd's The Final Cut, didn't reach as many people as it should have. You know why? Because everybody was told it was so unhip to like anything by the Floyd." "When you start in a band you're comparing yourself to other bands, 'they sell so many more records' and the rest of it, but after your first or second album all you're concerned with is basically your own creativity, your own tours. I mean obviously you take an interest in what other people are doing but you just chart your own path." "I saw Duran Duran in their heyday and they blew me away. They were genuine stars with great music and a great production." "I really enjoy making music, but I think that when it gets to a certain commercial level it just becomes far less enjoyable." "One of the problems nowadays is that in the corporate music environment that we live in, people don't want to get involved in politics or controversial issues because it might lead to a loss in sales." "The people who are buying chart records are kids, and I am not talking about teenagers." (Speaking in 2003)