John has also just scored his first UK No. 1 album in 22 years with Good Morning to the Night, a collaboration with Australian electro-duo, Pnau (Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes), who have re-imagined the singer's '70s hits as dance anthems.
"Nick and Peter did such a good job with my music. They are great guys," John told the newspaper.
"There is some great dance music out there and that's why I wanted to do this record because I wanted to be slightly a part of it," he continued.
"The Pet Shop Boys are friends of mine and I've always been envious of them, they've always been in that part of the scene. My career has never really touched that part of it."
Listen to Sad, one of the tracks featured on the new album, below:
"You won't see me doing a disco record or a dance record or anything like that, because I don't know how. I'm technically a Luddite," he confessed.
"I have an iPad but I don't have a phone. I'm not great on a computer, I don't even have one.
"I write everything down - I come from a different era. I accept the change and I know that it is the future with the way it's going, but I don't know how to do it.
"I thought, 'If I want to get my material to new people this is a much better way to do it because they don't buy albums, they download stuff and they download tracks, they don't often download whole albums'.
"So this is a good way of getting my music to people who have never heard of me, or they may have heard of me but have no idea what the music is like."
'If you don't enjoy it then there's no point...'
John, who is no stranger to the pitfalls of fame, also dispensed with some sage advice for British chart-toppers and pop phenom One Direction.
"If I had to give them advice I would say keep your original friends, keep good counsel with them," he told the newspaper.
"Try not to get too carried away with the clubs and all that crap - but it's very difficult, because I did," he said.
"If you enjoy it, you're young, it's a different thing, just go for it. Just make sure you don't get too drunk. What am I saying - I did the f*****g same! Just go for it and see what happens.
He added: "The thing is, it was just me. There are five of them together, they have each other to keep strong.
"Niall and Harry have now been in the paper a lot. I feel for them but I'm thrilled for them. They're also having a great time. Enjoy it, for f**k's sake enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it then there's no point."
The singer also paid tribute to the late Amy Winehouse, who died in her house in Camden a year ago of alcohol poisoning.
"It's incredible that it's been a year. It's one of the greatest tragedies. I saw her at the Shepherds Bush Empire when she'd just got married to Blake. It was a sensational show," he said.
"I saw her afterwards and said, 'I've seen all the great singers, and you're up there with all of them'. She never really recorded that much. She made two albums and bits and bobs which came out on Lioness, that's it. You have to feel for her parents and family."
Meanwhile, British tabloid The Mirror is busy filling column inches over Harry Styles's love life.
According to the newspaper, Styles, 18, caught the eye of 19-year-old Canadian singer Alyssa Reid during a recent gig in Liverpool.
Speaking backstage, she told the tab: "Yes I have introduced myself... and I may or may not have got a phone number. But I never kiss and tell.
"I'm not telling you. I can't tell. I would never go for a taken man, though, so he must be one of the single ones."
The sleuthing tab also notes that Reid later took to Twitter to follow Styles - and none of the other band members.
She added: "We're doing another show tomorrow so maybe I'll make a move on him then.
"I shouldn't have told you but I would love to cook for him - asparagus-stuffed chicken breast with hollandaise sauce. That's one way to get a man."
The briefs
And finally...
* Is Johnny Depp trying to reconcile with Vanessa Paradis?
* Lana Del Rey's National Anthem and Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind get the mash-up treatment.
* Newly-divorced Russell Brand and new flame, Isabella Brewster, step out in LA.
* Some like it hot: George Clooney says he's going to hell when he pops his clogs.
* Between the sheets: Lindsay Lohan climbs into bed with porn star. Minds out of the gutter, please. She's been snapped on the set of her new movie.
* Sylvester Stallone leads mourners at son's funeral.
* Give us a kiss! Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo smooch on set.
* Rickrolled...in the dough: "I had a record out in August and by March I was a millionaire," says 80s singer Rick Astley.
* Rihanna and Chris Brown reunite in St. Tropez? Nah.
* Jurassic Park 4 to hit screens in two years, says producer.
- Blogger Bites Back
