John has said that he was influenced by funk bands such as Chic and it is evident in much of his work, such as the Notorious and Power Station stuff. Being a George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and Brothers Johnson fan myself, I wondered if there were any other funk artists that influenced him? Were these artists ever big in the UK? Dana

"Chic was the first band I listened to and wanted to play that way. I remember hearing motown and the Philly soul growing up and kind of liking it but not relating to it the same way as I was relating to my 'rockers' - as I was able to relate to the artists more. There's a lot of funk artists that have been influential to me. The one that's jumping out for me more recently is Public Enemy's 'Fear of a Black Planet' album. That's a hugely influential album. And Bernard Edwards, he was my bass idol and still is. He and James Jamerson are the two most important electric bass players that ever lived in my opinion. "