"I like it because it's a time for me in the '90s, listening to that record. And he took four years off between that and Voodoo, and then years between that and the latest record [Black Messiah], which I think is amazing by the way. I'm such a lover of '90s R&B, and what I think was cool with the neo-soul thing of Lauryn Hill, him and Angie Stone. To hear the intro of 'Brown Sugar' on like MTV or something, and oh my god, just seriously cool. All this great music from that period. He's been a real influence on me actually. That whole time, in fact, but I think I'd choose him as the example from then."

"This reminds me of childhood. It was a US release that took songs from their debut, Three Imaginary Boys, along with singles from the time. I could often hear it coming through the walls of my brother’s room. And that definitely had a big effect on how I remember that period. I don’t know what it was in particular that grabbed my attention; there was just something really enticing and compelling about it. We each had little hi-fi systems in our rooms and when he went out I’d just sort of nick or borrow it, take it into my room along with other stuff like The Smiths and Siouxsie & The Banshees."

"It is the most vexing challenge because I just find that, depending… I’m not so psychotic that my mind changes constantly on that subject, but it really depends on where you are in your life. You sort of have a rolling list of a few dozen that you cherish for different reasons. All you try to do is avoid interviews like this so you don’t get pinned down. [laughs] No, I always have trouble pinning anything to a fixed list. Why is it hard? Is it easy for you? You start thinking about the directors you leave off the list and your heart starts breaking. In chronological order, The Passion of Joan of Arc. The last time I saw that film, it struck as me as if it was an artifact from the period itself that it’s depicting. It was like a medium unto itself, and [Maria] Falconetti’s performance, it really cannot be compared to anything else. It’s beyond naturalism, it’s beyond melodrama, it’s beyond everything. It’s just coming straight out of her soul. But mainly, the last time I saw it I just had this weird time slip kind of experience where I felt like I was really seeing a mad visionary from the time who somehow invented the movie camera. [laughs] Putting on this intense pageant on this subject of intense religious devotion. I find that film a knockout. You can’t watch it lightly, but that’s all right."

"Morrissey's a big Sparks fan; it must be a Manchester thing for people whose surnames start with 'Morris'. Sparks are kind of elusive; sometimes you'll hear something by them and think it's rubbish, but I keep going back to No. 1 In Heaven because it's a disco record that has Giorgio Moroder - and the thing about Moroder is that he was using sequencers, but there's real playing over the top of them. It wasn't like machine music; it has synthesisers and it is robotic, but it's got a disco groove about it. And I like that Russel Mael has got a weird voice; you just can't understand it. Me and Gillian have always tried to do a song that sounds like No. 1 In Heaven, but it's never worked out. I kind of see a parallel with that particular sound and when we were becoming New Order."

"I just love The Godfather. It’s so good. When he takes out Freddy is my favorite part. On the boat, the stone falls so deep in the ocean. It’s like “Luke, I am your father.” It drops so deep. It perfectly tells us what Micheal is, and what he’s become. And everything that Freddy’s done, it just resonates even going back to The Godfather and how Freddy, the child, [was] a sick child."