I think I'm a bit less inhibited and not thinking too much before speaking. It's not about being shameful I'm just a bit more unabashedly myself because of this thing and it probably started at age 15. I can be around people and say what I think without fear.

'Dallas' hit a chord back in the late Seventies and Eighties because it was the age of greed: here you have this unapologetic character who is mean and nasty and ruthless and does it all with an evil grin. I think people related to JR back then because we all have someone we know exactly like him. Everyone in the world knows a JR.

What is amazing for a woman of my age is that I change as the world is changing-and changing very very fast. I don't think my mother had that opportunity to change.

I basically get stereotyped a lot in terms of being a girl and writing 'chick' music for teenage girls or something. I think if anything the press kind of because of my gender and my age tends to kind of relegate my work to this sort of special-interest group. It's part of the cultural dynamic I guess.

But look I was born in 1956 the peak year for births in US history. I think I'm very representative of many of the thought processes my generation have been through and by and large people of my age have had their imprint planted on the consciousness of western society for a long time.

No no I was only funny on stage really. I I think I was funny as a person toward my classmates when I was very young. You know when I was a child up to about the age of 12.

I think it's your mental attitude. So many of us start dreading age in high school and that's a waste of a lovely life. 'Oh... I'm 30 oh I'm 40 oh 50.' Make the most of it.

Although it is generally known I think it's about time to announce that I was born at a very early age.

Craziest thing I've done for love is getting married. I think it's crazy. I think it's crazy crazy crazy. I'm never going to say I wouldn't do it again but I have to make sure it's love and not settling for the 'I have to do this by a certain age ' which is kind of what I did.

I think it's quite extraordinary that people cast me as if I'm Warren Beatty: until I met my present wife at the age of 35 you could name two girlfriends.