Grace Jones: ‘Even if I stand on my head, I still can’t do it. How these young girls twerk, I don’t know’

‘I lived like a vampire in Hollywood – up all night, asleep all day’: Grace Jones. Photograph: Gustavo Papaleo

I was raised in Spanish Town, Jamaica, by my grandmother and step-grandfather. My grandmother’s brother was a Pentecostal bishop, so we were made examples of at the Jamaican Pentecostal church, where the Bible is interpreted very literally. I wasn’t allowed to wear trousers or straighten my hair, so combing my hair was very painful, and I would be punished if any of my actions were considered idle.

At 18 I travelled to Paris, Italy and New York – and took a lot of acid. I found it mind-opening. There were always doctors around, so it never really felt dangerous, even when I took an STP, a super trip pill, and couldn’t come down for at least three days.