"She plays the harp and the piano. But what's interesting about her voice is that it's a deal breaker: People either love it or hate it, and I'm always attracted to artists who have that kind of divisive quality. Her songs are influenced by classical music, early folk, and chamber music, and she sings about nature and love and heartbreak but in very unexpected, poetic ways. And she's amazing to watch live. She's like Jimi Hendrix on the harp."

"Ms. Aretha is one of my main go to’s for inspiration. Her piano playing, gospel, soul style is something that you literally have to be DEAD not to feel and she always brings me light and strength even through her most vulnerable performances. 'Ain't No Way' is one of my favorite songs in the world. You can tell that song was one of the realest moments in her life. That is music at its best. Capturing an honest moment!"

"Me and my girlfriend couldn’t get this song out of our heads for a whole flight to New York. All we knew was the riff. When we landed, I ended up playing the melody on the piano and sending it as a voice note to my pals, asking ‘What the fuck is this song?’ I just knew it was a vaguely cheesy dance thing from the early 2000s that would have been on an Ibiza Creamfields-type compilation."

"I’m going to throw The Goonies in there, because as a kid, that was just the ultimate fantasy. That was every kid’s fantasy. I watched it over and over and over. The fact that they slid through the rocks, and she’s playing the bone piano, and all that kind of stuff. You’re like, “What? Is this really happening?” And it never gets old. I saw it recently with my daughter, and I was still into it."

"I don't know how I came across that album to be honest. But again, some of the lyrics, oooh! Have you seen them live? Brilliant. Fucking brililant. Like a punk rock & roll trio with stand up piano, bass and drums. When we saw them, it was Shepherd's Bush and I wasn't expecting it to be so full on. But the way they create what they do on stage and live – it's almost like three jazz kids who ended up writing quirky pop songs. Their drummer is phenomenal, they all were. The bass player uses distortion at times and Ben bangs the hell out of the piano. I remember that gig really well. Remember when Matt Lucas had the character George Dawes? He was in the audience at that gig. And everybody in the room knew he was there. Everyone was locked into him and someone shouted out 'Tell us the scores George Dawes' and I felt really sorry for him! But it was just a really amazing gig and it's a great record. Rough but brilliant."

"Kelly Reno gives one of the three greatest performances by a kid (next to Anna Paquin in The Piano and Victoire Thivisol in Ponette). Watch him be his own stuntman on an island with no hospital, a production with no net. Kelly Reno is a beast of an actor, and then controls beasts himself. The present crop of abs-obsessed, fake-tough actors should tremble before him. Director of photography Caleb Deschanel shoots this movie effortlessly but still drenches it in beauty."

"This is such a simple and funny movie that tells what is at its core a very sad story about a young woman trapped in Communist Czechoslovakia. The actors and faces that Milos Forman cast in all the roles are fantastic and real, and the young piano player’s tired and fed-up parents are two of the funniest, most subtle characters I’ve ever seen in a movie. This is one of my favorite movies to turn people on to, since very few people have ever seen it."

"What an amazing artist! She is the first woman that I was ever introduced to that played classical piano and melded it with her own style and emotions! I think the whole world should know and respect Nina Simone as I believe she is one of the absolute GREATS! The song 'Sinnerman' on this record is one of my all time favorites and whenever I hear her music, it reminds me to be as different, and skillful, and brave that I can be. And this song is the best way to feel this way."