Aretha Franklin

Don’t say Aretha is making a comeback, because I’ve never been away!

I’m the lady next door when I’m not on stage.

I’ve never recorded anything I didn’t like.

Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.

I’ve always felt rock and roll was very, very wholesome music.

If a song’s about something I’ve experienced or that could’ve happened to me it’s good. But if it’s alien to me, I couldn’t lend anything to it. Because that’s what soul is all about.

Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger did a really bad job as Governor of California and even worse on the Apprentice…but at least he tried hard!

People find out I’m an actress and I see that ‘whore’ look flicker across their eyes.

I don’t know how you explain Piers Morgan back to Americans now. I don’t think he ever intended for America to be his home, and there’s a difference between criticising the place you have come to call home and the place you have come to live in for a bit. Ideally, on the Venn diagram between myself and Piers there would be no overlap whatsoever, on either a personal or professional level. If we could be two non-interlocking circles I’d be fine with that. Any comparison with him makes me want to challenge you to a duel.

Left to my own devices, I dress like I’m here to service your aquarium.

When it’s your chance to step up to the plate, just hit it out of the park, and everybody will forget about everything that came before.

I used to sleep nude – until the earthquake.

Well, I think you and I have always felt the same way – that we’re Jewish but we can get away with just being exotic. We’re kind of Jews in disguise.

It’s when someone has an agenda of their own for the record that it doesn’t work for me.

I’ve got CDs in my car, listening all the time for that next song, because everybody’s looking.

I’ve been using the fan websites as I was acting it, because they know so much about the books, and it’s really helpful as a resource.

We don’t want to be influenced, just informed.

(on his feuds with many of his fellow rappers) If they keep comin’ at me, I’ll just keep responding back until they don’t exist anymore. I got the time and energy to ruin what is left of their careers, if they want to do that.

[On taking a pay cut to make a documentary] I could keep trying to do the same kind of comedies. You know how it’s going to go, and you can get an audience with it, but then I feel like a hamster on a wheel.

I remember when we were talking to one of the executives at the BBC. And he said, ‘Now hold on, this man (David Brent) is so incompetent why wouldn’t he be fired?’ and I said ‘Go and take a look around this building. Just go and knock on a few doors.’

I sing and dance as well, and I would like to do the whole Hilary Duff thing.