chrissie hynde, welcome to hardtalk. is music as big a part of your life now as it's ever been?t all. because? well, because when i was a teenager listening to the radio, it was really the only thing i was interested in, and now it's... for many reasons, that's changed. maybe because there's not so many bands... i would love bands, but now it has all changed a lot. technology has changed it too. i can't access things so simply any more, so i've got a bit out of touch, i think. so that you as a consumer of music, but for you as a performer, a songwriter, and a performer as well, is there is much of a buzz about that as there ever was? yes, i think so. that part of it, that's... that's always a constant. only when you're doing it. it's all the stuff around it that gets tiresome. if you don't feature the celebrity thing, or talking about yourself, or being seen in public in any way, it's just that hour and a half on stage, that's all. anyone in a band will tell you that. and the origin of the creativity? the sitting down and writing songs? does that come as easily now? well, i don'

it was not the chrissie hynde sound. the sound of the pretenders really didn't have a sound.ally with my songs and my voice, but it was mainly inspired by the sound ofjames honeyman—scott, and the other guys, pete farndon and martin chambers, you know. let me ask you a little bit about the voice, because a lot of people watching this will have such a clear sort of sound in their head of a chrissie hynde voice, because it is a very distinctive. do you recognise it? do you know there is something very special about your voice? well, i guess that's subjective. if you think there is, then there is for you. for me, i found it very difficult to listen back to for many years, and if anyone was even in the control room and they... you know, a lot of singers are like this. if they soloed the voice, i would just die of embarrassment, and i didn't want to be watched while i was singing. i don't like people around when i'm trying... i was like that painting too. i don't want people around when i'm doing my thing. really? of course, you have to get on stage. you've got to do the live gigs