David Bailey's My World

I didn’t think much of the 1950s, they were all grey. The 1970s were a ghastly colour

I’ve lived in London for nearly 77 years and I still discover roads I’ve never been down

I am an insomniac. I get bored because it’s hard to concentrate in the middle of the night. It’s the only downside to my life

I drive my family mad because I can’t relax

I’ve been sober for 45 years and a vegetarian since I was 13, so food’s never been of great appeal

During the war I was a kid living in the East End. I had a recurring dream that buildings were falling in on me

I was dyslexic so it was hard for me to read. The Rupert Bear cartoons really captured my imagination. I liked his clothes

The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning is a vase of flowers my wife Catherine puts in our bedroom

I can’t get through the day without a paintbrush. I’m painting an Annunciation scene. When it’s finished I’ll lay it out on my land on Dartmoor for two years so it becomes weathered

My favourite artwork is my prehistoric Oceanic sculpture of a figure about a metre high. He’s got such attitude

The only artist I’d want to sit for would be Leonardo da Vinci so I could be hung next to the Mona Lisa

Michelangelo has never gone out of fashion

My studio is chaotic. I love chaos. I find it confusing, which I like because it makes accidents happen, and that’s about as creative as you can get

Louis Armstrong would sing the soundtrack to my life. He’s the greatest singer of all time

Graham Greene is my favourite writer. I particularly like The Power and The Glory, which is about a whisky priest

Life goes quickly. When I was 73 I started feeling tired and I said to my wife, ‘I think I’m dying.’She replied, ‘Has nobody told you about old age?’