Pieces of me

‘No great genius has ever existed without some touch of madness.’ That was the view of Aristotle. It’s a powerful idea that has travelled down the ages. Tales of creative artists who have experienced

“I used to watch a lot of telly as a kid,” says Jarvis Cocker, relaxing on a sofa in the meeting room at Rough Trade Records HQ in Notting Hill. “It would give me a representation of the world that wa

It is mid-morning at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. The main adult ICU ward is a scene of calm, professional bustle as critical care nurses and doctors attend patients, discuss medication and hu

Deep inside his London studio, BRIAN ENO is busy bringing “playful” experimental strategies to the studio graft – as his new collaborative albums with conceptual artist Beatie Wolfe attest. But, over pastries, an uncharacteristically digressive Eno finds time to discuss Scott Walker’s voice, communal living with Harmonia, mid-‘60s ‘happenings’ and his deep enthusiasm to create anew. “I’m sorry to be so shamelessly enthusiastic about my work,” he tells Tom Pinnock

You can’t rush art. Mindfulness and spirituality matter. There are times to keep music simple. Be receptive to the vibrations of the world… These are among the things that shape his world view.

What questions should today’s writers and artists be asking? Responses from authors at the Hay Festival and the TLS