I know for myself, and maybe I'm weird or whatever, but the whole thing is about constantly redefining identity.

Wine needs to have a context in a social gathering to fulfill its historical place in this world.

It's really hard to find a lot of things that rhyme with Michael Diamond.

For me, growing up in New York, it started with Elvis Costello and the Clash and then got into louder things like Bad Brains and Stimulators, because those were, like, the local bands. Then I started getting into bands from England like the Slits. I remember seeing Gang of Four at Irving Plaza; that was a really big show for me.

Wine is similar to music in that it's a purely experiential realm, and it's a purely subjective practice. That's sort of the funny thing about wine criticism or, for that matter, music criticism. At times, those are useful guides, but ultimately it's all about how you react to that music or wine.

I'm the first to admit that we were totally dependent on a particular place and time... for us, seeing Minor Threat at the CBGB hardcore matinee was just as necessary a force in our lives as the Treacherous Three at Club Negril or the Funky Four + One More at the Rock Lounge.

Dub has been a big influence in terms of production. It's inspired so many people and so much music - in terms of music where mixing desk was the instrument. Central to that is the echo chamber, and I think there's a little bit of a romantic thing there.

Obviously, there are moments that you look back at and cringe - things in the past involving violence or disrespect to women or disrespect to other people that are so far away from what I want to put out there now. But it's actually a privilege to be able to change and be making records that reflect that change.

We are exercising our constitutional right to be fresh.

Arrogance generally is a bad thing, but with a band, somehow you have to have this gang mentality or this certain degree of arrogance to push forward an idea that's new enough that people aren't comfortable with it at first.

I moved to New York City in the '80s to be an actress and to be on Broadway. That was always my dream.

If you listen to what I'm saying, there's always a reason for it. Always. And it always comes from my heart, a place of love.

I am just forthcoming - completely blunt and honest.

Dublin is really fun, and Irish people are hilarious.

I was raised in New York, so that's the greatest city in the world to me, but if you take that out of the equation, then London is my favourite city, and I'm a huge fan of Dublin as well.

For red-carpet gowns, Christian Siriano is one of my favourites.

My parents both worked; I was a 'latchkey kid.' We were lower-middle class, and they did everything that they could to give me anything I wanted, within reason. We were not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but being an adopted kid, I think we had a different connotation. My parents tried extra hard, I think.

My mother was incredible.

When I grew up where I grew up, things were very, very different, and nobody had a filter. And that's what brought us together.

When I moved to New York City to go college, my mother said, 'If you want to be recognized, you need to go out to a club.' Because we didn't have computers. We didn't have social media. We didn't even have cellphones. So you had to go out to be recognized.

I was really into punk rock but also into musical theater.

You can't get anything gayer than 'RuPaul's Drag Race!'

I think we've seen every type of drag come across the stage of 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' and there is no end in sight of what can be on the stage.

I love creating. I love being with creative people who can think quickly on their feet.