Rufus Wainwright

I'm not born again, I'm not Kabbalah, God forbid, but I did have an experience hitting 30 that I needed to lean on something that assured me that everything is going to be okay. I had to regain a lot of my belief in fairy tales, in happy endings.

There's prejudice everywhere. I don't think the music industry is as bad as the movie industry. But I have taken a few hits over the years for my sexuality, and for being honest about my life. In the end, it's the music that rules the roost.

My parents were serious working musicians, but they were not stars - not like pop stars that you have now. They had to make a living and that meant touring, working hard, going on the road - and we were roped in.

I still believe that love is the most powerful force in the world, even though I am yet to experience it fully.

I have managed to eke out a good and substantial existence. I'm not shoveling gold bricks or anything, but I do very, very well.

Why be in music, why write songs, if you can't use them to explore life or an idealized vision of life? I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I've been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you.

I am always writing; if you want to survive in this business, you need to keep working, keep creating and never stop the output.

I am undefinable. I don't fit into any particular category.

I'm very fit on tour. I try to eat well, try to sleep. But it's still rock n' roll.

I've been thinking of trying my hand at rap. I've been recording snippets on my BlackBerry.

I may not lead the most dramatic life, but in my brain it's 'War and Peace' everyday.

I am regarded as a usurper, as an imposter and dilettante, because I do technically come from the wrong side of the tracks in musical terms.