Tom Waits has accused humans of being "monkeys with money and guns".

The singer gave his views on the world's ills in an interview with the Independent, in which he answered questions he set himself.

He said: "We are buried beneath the weight of information, which is being confused with knowledge; quantity is being confused with abundance and wealth with happiness.

"Leona Hemsley's dog made $12 million last year and Dean McLaine, a farmer in Ohio, made $30,000."

He added: "It's just a gigantic version of the madness that grows in every one of our brains. We are monkeys with money and guns."