Q. You're the king of rock - what advice would you give to your subjects?
A. (Laughing) I don't know! If you're in a band, write from your heart, don't write something 'cos you think it's fashionable or faddy. Write songs that are going to be timeless.

Q. When did you realise you were famous?
A. Oh God, I thought I was famous when I was 16! I wore sunglasses in high school and I wanted to be in a rock 'n roll band. I used to think that playing to 25 people in a bar made you famous. Then you get a record deal and you think, "Now I'm famous," Then you're the opening act and you think, "I'm famous," Then you play stadiums, then you're the Rolling Stones and that's famous.

Q. Are you comfortable in the limelight?
A. Yeah, I've never had a problem with it. It was something nobody else wanted to do, so I jumped at the chance.

Q. Did you ever get nervous before you got up on stage?
A. Oh yeah. It still gets to me. Not nerves, but things will happen to me physically and I'll shut down. I'm not worried or scared of the crowd, but it's the adrenaline kicking in.

Q. What's the best venue you've ever played?
A. Wembley Stadium. Definitely. We did the last gig there and it was pretty momentous, having played it three times in '95 and once with my solo record. It's a wonderful place and now we'll always be able to say we were the last band to play there before they ripped the walls down.

Q. Did you take a souvenir with you?
A. I've asked for a seat, which I hope they'll send over when it's pulled down. I'll put it in my pub.

Q. If you looked rock 'n' roll up in the dictionary, what would it say?
A. "See Keith Richards" (craggy-faced Rolling Stones legend).

Q. Do you think bands like Marilyn Manson and Slipknot give rock a bad name?
A. I'm entertained by Marilyn Manson, I enjoy his music. But I'm not that familiar with Slipknot.

Q. Has your huge success surprised you?
A. Yes and no. We were naive enough to think that we could cross generations. We did what we always did, but I'm pleased that people have come around to us again in such a big way.

Q. You have lots of new fans now....
A. Yeah, It's kinda weird. I wonder what happens when these new kids come to see us and they only know It's My Life. What are they going to do for the other two and a half hours? I'll be like, (putting on old fogey's voice) "And this was a No. 1 song back in 1986...."

Q. What's the weirdest thing a fan's ever done to get close to you?
A. I remember two girls actually got into the van once! Fans do give us presents - everything from records to T-shirts to picture frames.