It was sort of an experiment to try to leave the violin. Can I be a real person without this thing? It was a big part of my identity.

To create a character who really interests you, try combining aspects of your favourite fictional character with a real person.

I'm not a real person. I'm a legend.

I'm a very hands-on person; I don't just want to give my name to something and not be a big part of it.

If you write a story based on a real person, you're trapped by the details of the real person and his life. It gets in the way of writing your own story.

I rarely play a real person, because I don't think I'm a good imitator.