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It has always seemed slightly uncomfortable, the idea of politicised musicians. Very few of them are clever enough to do it; if they're good at the political side, the music side suffers, and vice versa.

I think of a piece of music as something that comes alive when it is being performed, and I feel that my role in the transmission of music is to be its best advocate at that moment.

There is no music that can't be used politically, but the motives behind the creation of that music can be non-political.

In a way, I feel it might be ill-mannered to try and top myself. The music I play is a ritual. Something that matters to people in a special way. I wouldn't want to interfere with that.

I never presumed that a technique of composition or an idea was so special that just using it would guarantee the quality of the music.

I think there's quite a lot of cowardice in music. I don't mind if it goes wrong, I just want to go for it.

In fact, the element of play has an important role in my life, and I think that should be the case in the life of every artist. Our life is occupied with playing, whether we play an instrument or a role.

I've never understood people who play up the artifice of music.

You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.

But without the experience of actually singing or playing these things yourself, you don't have the same kind of involvement or understanding of what these musical moves mean. And that is a very big problem in addressing the future of music.