1
On Facebook: “It’s the new opium of the masses. There’s just a lot of time wasted.” (NME, 27 November 2010).
2
On David Cameron being a fan of ‘Eton Rifles’: “Which part of it doesn’t he get? It wasn’t intended as a fucking jolly drinking song for the cadet corps.” (New Statesman, 2008).
3
On the Mercury 2010: “I thought I deserved to win… but it was great for an old git like me to be nominated with all the young bands.” (NME, November 2010).
4
On the world wide web: “I haven’t got the internet in my house. I think it’s the Devil’s Window.” (Q, 2008).
5
On not owning an iPod: “It’s like a mini fridge. With no fucking beers in it.” (Q, 2008).
6
On the prospect of duetting with James Blunt: “I’d rather eat my own shit.” (The Mirror, 2006).
7The Jam
On liking a drink: “If you see me at a pub or bar, it’s pretty certain I’ll be off my fucking bollocks.” (Rolling Stone, 2000).
8BRITAIN GLASTONBURY
On punk’s legacy: “I don’t think it had one. Pink Floyd are still the biggest band in the world, along with The Rolling Stones. So what’s changed?”
9
On experimentation: “I went through my ‘confused sexuality’ time in The Style Council. But it never went further than me and Mick Talbot stroking each other’s ear lobes in a video. The truth is I don’t really fancy blokes.”
10
On being a mod: “I still love the whole look, the music, the imagery, the attitude, even the scooters. It will always be in my heart.”
11
On bands who reform: “I find it really sad. It’s a sad statement on the music, really. There’s loads of great new bands out there. Why do people get off on nostalgia? I don’t get it.” (Prefix, November 2008).
12
On fashion: “[In the 70s/80s] You’d see people in the street and know exactly what they were into. Which you can’t really say about people today, when they’re wearing tracksuits as daywear.” (The Independent, June 2008).
13
On the lost art of album artwork: “You could take out the inner sleeve, and spend ages just looking at and reading it. Now you don’t even have that – people just download the music and that’s it.” (The Independent, June 2008).
14
On reforming The Jam: “That will never, ever happen. Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I’d even consider that, and I don’t think that’ll happen anyway. I’d get a job working on a van or with the builders. I’m against all bands reforming – I think it’s really sad.”
15
On being stereotyped as The Modfather: “I don’t really give a fuck, to be honest with you. I don’t really mind how people perceive it; I’m only interested to see if they get it. You can’t really stop people’s preconceived ideas, can you?” (The Quietus, 2009).
16
On The Jam: “I’m still adamant that The Jam will never reform; that’s a God-given even though I’ve been asked about it every day for the last 28 years.” (The Quietus, 2010).
17
On why Oasis had to split: “I don’t want to talk out of turn because I love Noel and Liam, but I thought there was a bit of going through the motions by the end. You can see when someone’s not happy.” (The Independent, 2010).