How We Met: Amanda Ghost & Rosanna Arquette

Rosanna Arquette, 48, is an actress and documentary-maker who has appeared in films including Pulp Fiction, Crash and Desperately Seeking Susan. She lives in LA with her partner and daughter

We first met about 10 years ago at a luncheon in LA hosted by Joni Mitchell. I remember being struck by Amanda's intelligence and humour, so I invited her to my house the next day to take part in an internet radio show I was doing at the time called Under the Rainbow, which was basically just me interviewing various artists in my living-room.

She came along with her friend, Boy George, and performed this song that she had just written called "Blood on the Line", which blew my mind. I loved it so much I ended up using it in one of my documentaries. I know many songwriters, but she's one of those rare talents. She can just sit down and write a number-one record in five minutes; it's very inspirational.

I have always gravitated towards artistic people: musicians; painters. I enjoy going to the studio and being part of the creative process and my house is full of guitars and other instruments. I love having Amanda and a bunch of people over to just hang out, play music and eat.

I guess I've given Amanda a lot of professional advice over the years, while she helps me out on the personal stuff – more so these days than ever. We have each other's back, which is important in this crazy business, because there are so many ups and downs that you need someone who will stay solid through it all.

When we go to things such as the Grammys, Amanda will try to race up the red carpet and I'll have to drag her back to get her picture taken because that's just how it works – in LA you have to put yourself out there. I think I'd make a great A&R person simply because I've had so many friends in the business.

It's fun for me to see her career sky-rocket. She's written so many hit songs for other people but I'm really looking forward to her own record; her voice is unbelievable.

It's also been amazing to watch her develop personally. She was such a gypsy before, I couldn't really imagine her settling down, but she's just had a baby and I think it's lovely that she's fallen into motherhood so easily. A lot of artists I know are too narcissistic to have that kind of bond with their children but she is a funny, generous person by nature.

I've been there for a lot of Amanda's rites of passage: special birthdays; her baby shower. On my last visit to London we went to look at wedding dresses for her and it made me cry.

Amanda Ghost, 33, is a double Ivor Novello award-winning singer/songwriter from London. She co-wrote James Blunt's hit single You're Beautiful and has also written for Beyoncé and Shakira. She lives in Notting Hill with her partner and daughter

Rosanna is a cross between a muse and a patron – she inspires and connects people. If she can ever help you out, she'll do it. She's very generous like that. I went round to her house once and Chrissie Hynde was lying on the sofa trying to relax and Rosanna was shouting, "You gotta work with Amanda, Chrissie! You gotta work with her!" There's nothing in it for her, she just loves seeing musicians and talented people do well.

We met on my first trip to LA when I was travelling with Boy George. He was touring and we had a make-up artist friend who was throwing one of these brunches where they get together a load of celebrities who vicariously know each other in honour of someone or other. It's very Hollywood. This particular one was a kind of welcome for George and there was Vincent Gallo, Joni Mitchell and Rosanna.

I was a big Madonna fan so I knew her from Desperately Seeking Susan, of course, and I'd just seen Buffalo '66, which she made with Vincent, but she's so down to earth and funny that it didn't feel like meeting a big star. She's actressy as opposed to movie starrish, if you see what I mean. She's quite European in that sense.

At that time I was just signing a deal with Warner Brothers and she invited me to her house to perform on an online radio show she used to make. Rosanna just loves music. She's the ultimate rock 'n' roll fan; you can see that from the men she's been out with – she's a serial rock-star dater.

When I moved to LA she became one of the people I regularly hung out with. We love to eat and shop, although the eating is mainly me and the shopping is mainly her. She is lethal with a credit-card – that's probably the only time that you sense that she is a movie star.

We argue all the time – she's your typical LA hippy chick and I'm a realist, working-class girl from Enfield, so when she tells me what her psychic told her this morning I'm just like, "What on earth?"

I'd thought all hippies were like Neil from The Young Ones until I met her and realised that people actually live their lives like this, seeing mediums, lighting jossticks and just being quite groovy.

I love her impulsiveness and her free spirit. It's London versus Hollywood with us, but in a really good way. n

Amanda Ghost's single, 'Blood On the Line', is out now on Absolute. For more information go to www.amanda-ghost.com