Debbie Harry

Music does not carry you along. You have to carry it along strictly by your ability to really just focus on that little small kernel of emotion or story.

Music has its own emotional embodiment. It carries an emotion with it. When you associate a lyric with the music, it's much easier; but when you're standing there completely dry in front of the camera with no musical background, just a fine-tuned, get-this-emotional-story across, it's a very, very intense kind of focus.

I think it's a Blondie tradition that all of our albums sort of have a wide spread of styles.

But as a writer and performer, I want to get paid for what I do.

I feel like I have to have a voice.

Christina Aguilera is an incredible musician and singer.

I turned on VH1 this morning just to get a little warm-up before I came over here, and I think it's just terrific. There's so much great stuff: diverse and wonderful music, good performances, great looking girls, great videos, the whole thing.

And living in a metropolitan area which is ethnically diverse, our lives are very complicated, so our emotional experiences are going to be varied like that.

Music is wonderful. Especially if there's some kind of content to it.

Lately I've been believing that music predates speech.

I'm a culture vulture, and I just want to experience it all.

I do know the effect that music still has on me - I'm completely vulnerable to it. I'm seduced by it.

Capote wrote every day. He said that's the only way, you have to sit down every day and do it.

And I wasn't convinced that I was the most talented person in the world.

I love the ACLU and I'm concerned now, especially when it comes to our rights, with current politics and the religious community and the Conservative majority or minority - I don't know who they are.

We probably, as primitive people, made music before we actually had a language, and that's where language comes from.

If I were to do a foundation, it would be to promote solar energy. And I'm worried about drilling for oil. I think it is harming the earth, 'cos it drains the layer of oil under the surface, and that could be causing earthquakes. It's like we're giving the earth arthritis. I don't know if that sounds crazy.

You always fall for the rascal or the guy who's got a little bit of the devil in him. You can't help it.

It's amazing to me to see how bands evolve and how they take all their influences and come up with their own sound.

The word 'iconic' is used too frequently - an icon is a statue carved in wood. It was shocking at first, when I got that reference. It was a responsibility, and it's impossible to live up to - you're supposed to be dead, for one thing.