John Mayall

The blues fitted in with the early 60s, the social way of life at the time.

Everybody I know in England was raised on Mose Allison.

I managed to pick out some pretty special people.

I do the best I can with any instrument I get attracted to. But they’re just tools in order for you to express yourself and that’s really the upshot of it.

When I write songs that touch on social relevance, all you have to do is pick up a newspaper.

I keep healthy and I’m always very active and always have been so. I don’t really see any signs of aging yet. Music keeps you young.

I always dream about other musicians. And they’re never interested in hanging out with us. It’s like being at school and the bigger boys don’t want to play with you!

All I could think about was, ‘I just wanna blow him away. I wanna make him proud, because I really wanna sign with Timbaland and spend the rest of my career making music with Tim.’

I wanna sing about something that’s sexy and edgy.

I guess each relationship is different. That’s what I love about relationships. Even when they end, you’ve learned so very much, so much to take into your next relationship and to take into your life. It’s the greatest thing that comes out of an ending – so it depends on the person.

We are following other people’s opinions. We are controlled by the media. And today it all changes.

I couldn’t live without my music, man. Or me mum.

I think a movie can inspire change, absolutely. Art, a book, a painting, a song, can definitely inspire change, whether it’s a small change or a big change but you know there’s novels I’ve read or a scene in a film that I’ve seen where I definitely inspired something and made a change or addressed an issue in my life or done something cliché like make a phone call. Absolutely, that’s the power of art you would call it because it inspires movement within yourself. You know it’s only really powerful when it reflects on you and you can relate to it or are moved by it in some way.

I don’t know how many millions of photographs have been taken of me.

(On his feud with rapper Ja Rule) Right now he’s desperate. He should be talking about me, not Eminem and (Dr. Dre) and everybody else. He’ll lose, he knows that. The route that he has to take is the “I’m a mad gangsta” hardcore route, and ain’t nobody gonna believe him.

I don’t feel crazy any more! It was always like – it’s going to be one of two things, either i’m crazy or everybody else is.

You’d be surprised how much fun you start to have once ya stop giving A f**k.

We were out of work actors who played a lot of video games, so we were sort of surprised that Swingers was seen as cool. I think any cool in it was a geekiness, an awkwardness that most people can relate to.

I think if you ask any of us here, we all dreamed of ending up on Saturday Night Live. I remember thinking, ‘I’ll just keep doing this as long as I can get away with it.’

Ryan and I didn’t grow up like this at all, with this much attention. We’ll just try to keep their feet on the ground and raise them with the values we were raised with.

I take conscious breaks for myself ’cause I like to rejuvenate and get my creative juices flowing. I also like to take my time with my creativity; I think it’s important.