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If you work with convictions, people have got to listen to you.

People always ask me 'do you think there should be more bands doing political music?' and I say 'absolutely not.'

I know that I'm not a criminal. People say that, but my music speaks for itself. And I believe in my music.

Do people have an idea of who they think I am? Yes, and that's fine with me. My music will speak for itself.

I will listen to anyone's convictions, but pray keep your doubts to yourself.

Being in a band is a really magical thing because you've got a family and you operate as this one entity. It's very democratic; everyone is involved in the output. But within that, there can be a lot of disagreements and strife.

We all have our convictions formed by different things, and mine are informed by my faith, they're informed by the Word of God, and I found that to be an anchor for me, a compass and a guide for me. When people start bullying one another and calling each other names for those different convictions, then I think you get into problems.

That taught me one lesson which is that you're naive to believe that bands can change the world. Bands are very naive to think that just if their audience thinks that they can change the world, that they can. That was quite a lesson for my career, really.

I think, increasingly, despite what we are being told is an ever more open world of communication, there is a terrible alienation in the ordinary man between what he is being told and what he secretly believes.

Music is the most powerful form of communication in the world. It brings us all together. Even religion separates us, but a hit record unites us across religious beliefs, race, politics.