But I don't have a very good track record with royalty. My dress fell off in front of Prince Charles at the Prince's Trust so I'm just living up to my reputation.

'Eyes Wide Open' took shape from two real life events straight from my own past. One was the sad suicide of my young nephew a troubled kid who was found at the bottom of a landmark cliff in central California. The second was a chance encounter forty years ago with none other than ahem Charles Manson!

My mother was a modern woman with a limited interest in religion. When the sun set and the fast of the Day of Atonement ended she shot from the synagogue like a rocket to dance the Charleston.

In fact a lot of them I think are absolute baloney. Those Charles Olsens and people like that. At first I was interested in seeing what they were up to what they were doing why they were doing it. They never moved me in the way that one is moved by true poetry.

Music's been around a long time and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record that's the frosting on the cake but music's the main meal.

I think Ray Charles did as much as anybody when he did his country music album. Ray Charles broke down borders and showed the similarities between country music and R&B.

I'm the first to admit that I like going to or my memories at least of going to Clint Eastwood movies or Charles Bronson or James Bond.

Prince Charles is an absolute Mountbatten. The real intelligence in the royal family comes through my parents to Prince Philip and the children.

Charles Laughton who's a great hero of mine only ever made one film and it happens to be one of the great films ever which is 'The Night of the Hunter.' It's full of his kind of imagination and creation and how you do things and just in the way he used the studio I just thought it was a fantastical way of using the studio.

The first piece of music that captured my imagination was probably Ray Charles Live At Newport.

It's funny but we were living on this small island off the coast of Charleston South Carolina when I was 9.

My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers - it's what my children call my 'dead author wall.' I have signatures from Mark Twain Earnest Hemingway Jack London Harriett Beecher Stowe Pearl Buck Charles Dickens Rudyard Kipling Alfred Lord Tennyson to name a few.

When you look at Prince Charles don't you think that someone in the Royal family knew someone in the Royal family?

The royals - all of them especially Prince Philip and Prince Charles - have done outstanding work with the faith communities.

I'm not saying that people have to listen to rock music. It's a great cool thing and it can really be liberating for a lot of people but hey so can Charles Dickens so I'm not going to judge.

Marilyn Monroe wasn't even her real name Charles Manson isn't his real name and now I'm taking that to be my real name. But what's real? You can't find the truth you just pick the lie you like the best.

Charles was very intent to use his years as Prince of Wales to make his mark while he still had freedom of maneuver that he wouldn't have as King. The first subject he really went for was architecture. It made an impact.