"Magic. Weird, wilful. They obviously didn't know quite what they were doing. It's splendid. I saw them twice in '72, once when they first came on tour and it was dark, the audience didn't even applaud until the DJ put 'Virginia Plain' on at the end, it was astonishing. The second time with the whole outfits, the choreography and a celebration of success. Fantastic record, great lyrics. All of these things have great lyrics, of course... apart from 'Hallogallo'. When Wire supported Roxy Music later it wasn't quite what we thought we'd signed up to. I loved what they did with Eno, it was the combination, the clash... the power of Paul Thompson, all of it, the imagination. It's understanding, and putting it into practice. It's so wilful, it's quite sexy really."

"The same could be said about The Matrix movies, all three. A lot of people will be like, “Well, no, just the first one, because the other two weren’t to my fancy.” I liked all three because I like the entire story. What a unique concept that the world is completely fake, and amazing to think that machines could be running things, as I sit here and talk into a machine recorder. It’s just a really forward-thinking concept. I thought it was wonderfully done, and certainly a movie that, from an effects standpoint, changed the way people made movies. It’s one of those movies where people were wowed by the effects, but I think they took a back seat to what a wonderful story it was. It was such a fantastic story."

"It’s one of the great endings to a movie ever when Willy asks Charlie what happened to the little boy who got everything he ever wanted. “You don’t know? He lived happily ever after!” And then the glass elevator breaks through the glass roof. It’s incredible. I worked briefly on a television show with Mel Stuart, the director, and heard all sorts of fantastic stories about that remarkable film. And of course I knew all the songs – I still do. I have a 5-year-old, but I haven’t shown it to her yet. It’s kind of scary – that guy who shows up with the little shopping carriage and makes that little speech about how nobody who goes in ever comes out. And the Oompa Loompas. And that boat ride – woo, acid trip!"

"I was raised Catholic and I still consider myself a fairly spiritual person even though I have a hard time identifying with most Christians in this country. But I still maintain a belief in God and in Jesus, and that gets tried on a daily basis. The older I get, the wiser I get, the tougher it is to believe in a divine power or whatnot. So that movie appeals to me on that level alone. To take it beyond, it’s just a fantastic Martin Scorsese picture. Great performances in it. The first portrayal of Christ where I was, “Wow, this might be what it was like.” He wasn’t a guy of all beatitude and perfection. He was a man, first and foremost, who just happened to be the son of God."