If you look over the years the styles have changed - the clothes the hair the production the approach to the songs. The icing to the cake has changed flavors. But if you really look at the cake itself it's really the same.

Some songs you get. Some songs you may not. And I think that's the beauty of art: to question and to ask to understand the deeper meaning after two or three or four listenings.

Music as many people have said is the universal language. Of course points are made which make you think about things but ultimately it makes you feel. And that's why people remember more songs that have meant something during their life than films. They start to define periods in your life and that's kind of the beauty of it.

When I look at the majority of my own songs they really came from my own sense of personal confusion or need to express some pain or beauty - they were coming from a universal and personal place.

Sid Vicious began the age of participation in which everyone could be the artist. Sid proved that you don't have to play well to be the star. You can play badly or not even at all. I endorsed that attitude. If you can't write songs no problem - simply steal one and change it to your taste.

It was just like a dream. I could have ended up with an album that's not all that different from anything else coming out of Nashville. Mutt made the difference. He took these songs my attitude my creativity and colored them in a way that is unique.

Real popular culture is folk art - coalminers' songs and so forth.

There is nothing in the world of art like the songs mother used to sing.

I think music is the greatest art form that exists and I think people listen to music for different reasons and it serves different purposes. Some of it is background music and some of it is things that might affect a person's day if not their life or change an attitude. The best songs are the ones that make you feel something.

I was a student at Columbia College actually in the Architecture school. Paul would drive in from Queens showing me these new songs. I can't remember us working it out.

I do like to write nasty songs. It's a useful weapon to have and it's cathartic as well because I create art out of anger something positive out of something negative.

When someone says that I'm angry it's actually a compliment. I have not always been direct with my anger in my relationships which is part of why I'd write about it in my songs because I had such fear around expressing anger as a woman.

When I was younger I was terrified to express anger because it would often kick-start a horrible reaction in the men in my life. So I bit my tongue. I was left to painstakingly deal with the aftermath of my avoidance later in life in therapy or through the lyrics of my songs.

It's so amazing to hear a crowd of people singing one of your songs. It's the best feeling.

When you're doing the traditional musicals singing songs that are 40 and 50 years old you realize there's a reason why those musicals are hits. These are amazing songs!

I get to travel around the world and meet all of these amazing people and they're singing my songs! And to me that's crazy.

United Artists wanted to do records with me. I had no idea what a rare thing that was... to make an album. And they put a guy with me working on songs and I got busy with films. I just kind of let it slide. Isn't that amazing?

It's amazing what some people read into songs.

I have those songs as well. It depends on what I'm going through in my life but I'm a huge fan of Bjork. Sometimes I get so emotional because she's so amazing.

I jetset around and play these songs and get to hang with some pretty amazing people then I go home to a really great farm though actually it's a disaster area of a farm at the moment. But it's certainly a blast. I wouldn't trade lives with anyone right now.

I've got some incredible fans actually - so loyal and they make me birthday cards and Christmas cards. I got this package of poems and artwork based around the songs. They've got this thing called 'Floetry' where they all have to put in artwork. They've set up their own competitions and stuff which is kind of amazing.

I love Benny Hill. He one of my favourites of aaall time. Like the way Benny did it he was just amazing. Just seeing how he put songs together and comedy and the timing and the sketches. He was way ahead of his time.

In 29 years I had recorded over 2 200 songs. I was amazed.

I like singer-songwriters and I find sad songs comforting rather than depressing. It makes you realise you're not alone in the world.