Growing up in the '70s and '80s science fiction and especially fantasy had such a stigma attached to them. I felt so punished and exiled for being devoted to these things.

I mean that's a sad day in America when you're recalled because you did what you said you were going to do and the public voted you in to do that.

The message of music was also the first thing what I learned from my first teacher. She was an organist too and she was very devoted to what she played so she had a respect for every piece and she felt that she is not allowed to add something of her own.

As I've gotten older I've gotten more liberal and my father is increasingly conservative. It's so shocking to me because I always thought we had the same politics. The day I realized we voted for different presidents I practically fell out of my chair.

The sight of allegedly sophisticated politicians parroting complete tripe trivialises and demeans government and it has to be stopped. It's played a significant part in public disillusionment with politics and has led to the absurd situation where more people vote for 'Strictly Come Dancing' than voted in the general election.

I voted for Barack because he was black. 'Cuz that's why other folks vote for other people - because they look like them... That's American politics pure and simple.

African-Americans who might have disagreed with candidate Obama's left-of-center politics voted for him in 2008 because electing a candidate with brown skin was too historic an opportunity to miss.

I always voted at my party's call and I never thought of thinking for myself at all.

Half of the American people have never read a newspaper. Half never voted for President. One hopes it is the same half.

This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely more beautifully more devotedly than ever before.