(on Blur's 1995 Brit Awards success) I've never really felt much like a pop star apart from that one night. It was absolutely fantastic, I have to say. I remember someone who obviously knew the score telling me that 'when we'd won the last one' there'd be a press conference. Last one? I didn't know we'd won any. So we'd won more than one then! Come the ceremony, I was almost in a daze. They just kept reading our name out.


(when he painted 'Dave' on his cheek at the 1995 Brit Awards, mimicking Prince's 'Slave') We have a lot in common. EMI won't release my solo album either.


(when asked how he feels about file-sharing software such as Napster) I'm blisteringly in favour. I challenge record companies to show me evidence of a single penny they've lost due to Napster. However, I think Napster are cowards now for selling out to the major labels. You can't stop people exchanging any digitisable media over the internet because whatever scheme you use to prevent it, people will circumvent it!


If there's a technical problem with the band I usually get the first phone call. If it's about going to a party then Alex will get the first call, if it's a TV show in Milan then Damon will get the first call and... I can't really think what Graham would get the first call about. I suppose it would be, 'Will you get out of bed, you're late'. That's when Graham would get the first call.


(on his reputation as 'sensible and quiet') I'm sensible and quiet. Alex likes cheese. They're all stereotypes. I suppose if you'd have to reduce your entire existence to one paragraph those words wouldn't be in it.


We don't eat anything with eyes, except potatoes.


(on the Internet) I wouldn't say I surf it... I'm more of a pedestrian.


There was one pre-Blur gig where I was so drunk I sat down at the drum kit and realised I hadn't set it up.


(on the time Blur lost all their money) There's a guy called Mick Conroy who I'd known since Colchester days. I used to walk home from school with him. He went on to be in quite big stadium bands from America. Anyway, I knew that Mike Collins had managed a band he'd been in so when Mike Collins' name came up as our potential manager I took Mick quietly to one side and asked him about Mike. He said, 'Oh yeah, he's all right.' So when it all blew up I went back to him and said we had a funny business with Mike Collins and ended up losing all our money, and Mick said, 'Really? Blimey, that happened to us as well.'


(on going solo) When you're on tour you want to leave the band about twice a day. You dream of what you could be doing. There are two low points: getting up and soundcheck. It's not so easy to go solo with the drums. The only time I go solo is in my plane.