Jay Kay quotes:

I'm in this absolutely gorgeous manor house with acres of quite beautiful countryside. I've got trout in the river, an organic vegetable garden, I've got my work 40 yards from my home. I don't mind being criticised, but where are they criticising from? Which hut are they criticising me from, exactly?

Getting an award on Top Gear is better than getting a Grammy.

I love being able to go on local flights when the weather is right. I've popped to the Isle of Wight, Cornwall and been mountain flying in Wales. When I got my licence I was over the moon, it was one of the greatest days of my life - it took two years to get!

When I listen to Radio 1 and hear five different tracks in a row using old disco samples, well that's plagiarism, that's taking other people's music.

The mid-life crisis is just those times when you're not so into the things you were when you were younger.

Your private life is your private life and you keep it to yourself. You get more respect that way.

I like girls who like the countryside, put on walking boots and can bend with the wind a bit. If you're going to live with me, you need to be able to embrace the countryside and wet dogs.

Then you have to be with somebody who understands your job. Understands there are gonna be dollybirds going, 'Hi I'm Candy,' and be prepared to ignore that. And also be prepared to be there when you get home. That's a difficult job.

I may be the prat in the hat, that's cool, but I drive an Aston Martin DB5.

I didn't get my first car until I was 22. It was a BMW 1602 and now I've got it back I'm waiting to restore it.

We spent a month in LA using a pool of musicians, a string arranger called Benjamin Wright, some great backing singers, and it gave tracks like Dynamite, which was written there, that kind of flavour.

Well, I'm British. I'm proud to be British and I love this country. I'm going nowhere.

I can do the equivalent of 150 miles per hour and not get stopped. I could quite happily pursue people down the motorway in my helicopter.

I think these days a lot of the younger generation feels that the world owes them something. But you've got to get off your backside and you've got to do all the crap stuff, too.

I'm not gonna give the British Government the joy of keeping taxing me. They don't tax art. And all my cars are just a collection of art.

It's not a case of 'look at me in my car'; it's more, 'look at the car'. I like the idea of other people enjoying them, because everything has become a bit faceless and nobody likes the motor car any more.

There's nothing classic about what's around now. I am a bit old-school. There are some things that are never out of fashion because they just look good. But if you want classic style these days you have to get it made.

I mean, I could just go round and use session musicians for every song, but I don't find that helps when it comes to setting up a band for live. Derrick has been with me for donkey's years.

My place in Scotland is in the middle of nowhere, so you've just got a keyboard, guitar, a little drum machine and you know if you can work stuff out like that, if you can hammer out songs that sound good just with those three things and a voice, you're on your way.

I don't watch myself on TV, I don't read the news clippings about me, so when people come up and say, 'What about that story last week?' I go, 'I didn't even know there was.'

How is the economy supposed to recover when people can't afford to fill the tank?

I can find every jacket under the sun that I like. But I cannot find trousers cut the way I want them. They're all really tight at the bottom. Nobody does a boot cut on a trouser leg. It drives me crazy.

Now, I'm the most impatient person that ever walked the planet. However: for the best, you always wait.

Every now and again I need to get away from everything. I'm quite a hidey-hole kind of a guy.

I am quite fussy about clothes.

I'm very used to stages and dressing rooms. And dare I say it, much as I like being at home, I love the buzz of a new hotel room. It never quite loses its thing.

I have to thank my mum for kicking me out at 16 and making me stand on my own two feet - that's how I got here.

I know all we're doing is travelling without moving. Speed freak faster than a speedin' bullet, slow down. If I don't, I might just lose it, locked up. You've got me honey, locked up under heavy brakin', yeah. You know I've got to hang on, drive too fast, I might be last.

I wanted to use a totally different part of my brain. It's quite scary at times. I went for learning to fly because it was most difficult of all. The insurance man just sat there and licked his lips when I told him.

The ability to last more than six minutes - isn't that what all men want?

Well, there's lots of different things going on at the moment, I'm in talks with some people from Japan to do something and I'm also talking to Hugo Boss to do a very small line, which I want to keep to just 10-12 pieces, but what I want to do is sit with the designers for a couple of days bashing some stuff out...

I think it is easy for people to build up an image of what I'm about. I consider myself quite a nice chappy really. I'm decent to people, I stay in and listen to Radio 4.

I consider myself very lucky indeed to have had the career I have. I listen to the radio now and you can't tell artists apart.

I'm 41 now and the right knee has got a bit of a twinge in it. I get about the stage a little less now.

This will be the racing competition to end all racing competitions, .. I am extremely pleased to be working with Electronic Arts on this exciting opportunity giving music and gaming fans the chance to live the Need for Speed TM experience.

In my mind, there's a time and a place for putting your foot down.

I learn fast and I take note of what I've been told.

From 16 to 21 when I was self sufficient and working in factories. I packed batteries, boxes, and make-up with heroin addicts. I have to thank my mum for kicking me out at 16 and making me stand on my own two feet.

I am a bit old-school.

I'm very used to stages and dressing rooms. And dare I say it, much as I like being at home, I love the buzz of a new hotel room.

I think a lot of ladies get quite scared about people like me, 'rock stars', and it can be hard to meet the right sort of person.