Are there any collaborators you’d like to work with in future?
I’d like to do something with Johnny Marr. We were talking about it for a couple of years, anyway. We always bump into each other in different places, but we’ve never actually worked together. Who else would I like to work with? Hundreds of different people, none of whom I can remember now! I’m up for working with anyone, really, if they’re good. I’d really like to do something with Boy George. Beyond that, I don’t know what sort of thing it would be. I spoke to him about it, and he’s really up for doing it. It’s just finding the right tune. I think his voice is sounding really good at the moment. So maybe that’ll happen.

What have you been listening to recently?
I like that Telegram single. I like the new Michael Kiwauka single, on Jack White’s label. It’s wicked that is. That Villagers record is brilliant, “Occupy Your Mind”. Pharrell’s good, hats aside. He’s got the brains to fill it. I love that track, “Happy”. It’s hard to write a happy song. I like the Temples record. It’s a bit too psychedelic. I like Toy. And Syd Arthur, who’s on Harvest.

Do you get to visit Black Barn as much as you like?
I go there when I need to. The days of spending weeks and weeks in a studio, I couldn’t do any more. I couldn’t face it, I’d get too bored, but also I’ve got too many other family commitments, which is the priority now, I suppose. But when I record these days, it like two or three days at the most, or sometimes four days, and we just work really intensely. We work well into the night then come away from it, have a break, think about it, go back and fix things, or change things or re-record, whatever may be. It works better for me that way. The days of spending six weeks in the studio are long gone for me. I’ve got the luxury, I suppose, of being able to step back and go back to it. And that’s the beauty of having my own studio as well, you’re not watching the clock or the money and all that stuff.

Do you use another studio when you’re in London?
No. Black Barn’s close enough anyway, it’s only an hour’s drive. It’s a great vibe down there. Our engineer has really got it together in there, the sound has really improved in the last few years. Everyone who’s ever gone there and has just got a nice feeling for it.

There’s some nice pubs round there, too. Thought I know you don’t drink anymore…
No, but I did before though. In many of them. A couple of them have gone bankrupt probably in the last few years.

So what inspires you to write songs these days?
Because that’s what I do in life. That’s inspiration enough, really. From being a kid and just dreaming about a band and making records and making music to actually realising that and being able to do that is inspiration enough for me. Every time I hear a great piece of music – old, new, whatever we’re talking about – it just makes me want to go and make music. Whatever happens with the music business, there’s still fucking loads of great music out there and I think there always will be. I don’t think that’s ever going to change much. Whether it has the same cultural value to people’s lives, I don’t know. I would hope so. But nevertheless the music is still there, I think, it’s just sometimes you have to seek it out a bit more, I guess. 6 Music is good, you get to hear a lot of new stuff on that. XFM. But generally radio’s pretty safe, isn’t it? The same sort of crap on all of them.