Paul Rodgers

Life is so mundane, isn't it? It's great to hear a guitarist getting into it and the rhythmic section blasting, even if it's all meaningless.

If not for music in my life as a young person, who knows where I would have focused my energy.

When I was in my teen years and in my 20s and even 60s, it was okay to drop everything and disappear and become a road warrior for all those months. But after a while you get... y'know, one likes to have some home life.

I got the idea of meditation from The Beatles. It was a fad, but I've found it beneficial in my crazy life.

Soul and blues were a definite influence on me. It was raw and naked emotion which you didn't get much where I come from.

One of my dreams was always to have a piano - a room with a piano overlooking the ocean or a lake.

When we formed Bad Company, I looked around and asked, 'Who is the biggest rock band in the world?' The answer was undoubtedly Led Zeppelin. Peter Grant was their manager, so we got him to work with us. That made the difference for Bad Company.

I got the idea for the song 'Bad Company' when I saw a poster for the Jeff Bridges movie, and it reminded of an old Victorian picture that I'd once seen, and it said, 'Beware of bad company.' So I sat down at the piano and started to write the song.

When I'm Sixty-Four' hasn't worn well, but George Harrison's 'Within You Without You' is awesome.

Free got famous fast, and it was a shock. You're working towards it, and when you suddenly get it with bells on, it is a bit much. I don't know how well I dealt with it.

I have a lot of analog. I think a lot of people do. There are a lot of people that are re-discovering it. I still have a lot of my old records from back in the day. It's a joy to play things like Junior Wells' 'Hoodoo Man Blues,' and John Mayall & The Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton. There's a warmth that you can still feel.

When I went down to London in '67, I had three things in mind: To survive, to find peace of mind, and to make music doing it.