Aphex Twin has declared that all famous people are mentally ill. The combination of adulation and insecurity would drive anyone over the edge, he claimed, including himself.

“I have hung around with enough famous people to realise they’ve got a serious insecurity problem,” Richard D James told Q magazine. “I think you have to be mentally ill to be really famous … If you’re like Madonna, then you’re properly mentally ill, basically. Because you have to be … I’m only partially mentally ill, because I’m semi-famous!”



It’s that distaste for all-encompassing fame, “all the other stuff that goes with … pop music” that has kept James from collaborating with stars like Madonna. He also hates following directions – something that has kept him from taking soundtrack work. “As soon as I’ve got instructions it’s homework, and boring,” he said. “If it was my job to make music for films, then most of the time I wouldn’t do anything because I don’t like music in films.”

Elsewhere in Q’s interview, James states that he “pretty much believes” in aliens, the Illuminati, and magic. “Even if none of it’s true, it’s just a thousand times better than any science fiction film that’s ever been written,” he said. “You can’t only believe things which can be proven. It’s boring.”

For example: the Aphex Twin sigil, which recently floated on blimps over London and Bristol. “You think of something that you want to happen, then you turn it into something that looks like a magic symbol, and then you put it out in the world, and it works,” James said. “It does … But if you tell anyone what the symbol means, then it will stop working. I’ve got a new [sigil] that’s been in development for ages but it’s not looking right yet.”