Shirley Manson

“I don’t think they can deal with someone being complex and contradictory; it’s not acceptable, you have to be a cartoon, a stereotype.”

“In terms of fitting in, you know, I don't have a lot of armor up. I'm a raw nerve and it's really uncomfortable for a lot of people.”

“I wanted to put out a solo record because I was stuck on a major label and sick of it.”

“I just want to live my life a little freely and not adhere to any schedule - just make music and have fun.”

“What makes a woman stylish is what she has to say and how she chooses to live her life.”

“I love pop music. Who doesn't?”

“I know lots of people who've never been lucky enough to get to this stage in their life. And I'm not gonna hide it for anybody.”

“I'm afraid of happy people. They're chemically unbalanced.”

“I would say I'm pretty well at ease with my sexuality, but I'm an individual before I am a female.”

“It's unhealthy for people to never express any kind of negativity or doubt. To have balance, you need to address that side of your thoughts as well as the positive. Otherwise, you tend toward crazy.”

“I am not a sexy woman, I'm not beautiful, I'm not a sex kitten, I don't flirt with people, yet I've been tagged more of sex symbol than women who truly are and I that's solely because I don't reveal too much: people are curious.”

“I think it's a great thing to have failed in life and then pulled yourself up by the boot straps and actually done something, because then you appreciate it more.”

“The truth is, I've always been wracked with self-loathing and terrible, paralysing depression.”

“And then there's all these other creeps that surround your band and suck off you like leeches and try to manipulate you and your business. You have to watch like a hawk. I'm always ready to fight. I see it very much as a battle.”

“I feel the same way I did when I was in school. I'm having the same insecurities.”

“I feel privileged, to be honest.”

“I am a contradictory mess but I see it as my prerogative to change my mood like the weather.”

“I couldn't feel good about myself hanging out in Armani clothes when my girlfriend can't even pay her heating bill. I'd feel foul and I'd be embarrassed.”

“I want to hear an alternative viewpoint, and I don't want girls to be defanged and declawed and pretty and mute.”

“It's really difficult to navigate attention and stardom and celebrity status and still try to maintain yourself and hold onto your intelligence and integrity. It's really challenging.”