I'm in awe of people like Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard; they're great musicians and people. But I'm most starstruck by people in the small town where I live. Especially single dads, like me, who are working five times as hard to raise their kids.
I don't write songs thinking about formats, where is it going to get played, who am I gonna please, what's the outlet for it.
I signal with an independent label, Continuum. After that I put out a totally independent record, sold fourteen thousand of them from my basement, bought a house, started raising my kid, made a decent living.
I've got my own studio, so I sit in my studio writing and if I get a great take, that's the take.
I've never done songs with people just for the sake of the great combination. I've always done songs with friends.
Are some women and children going to die? Yeah. But it's doing the right thing. You got money, you sit around talking about peace. People who don't have money need some help.
But I'm a great father. That's why I got custody.
I've paid for more pianos in hotel lobbies than you can imagine.
There's so many examples of just how lucky we are to be born anywhere in this world that is free.
Bringing people together is one of my favorite things... I believed that's what a rock 'n' roll Jesus would really do - bring people together through music.
If people had good albums, they'd be buying albums. But people are buying singles because they only have good songs.
My past is a bit checkered.
I never said I wanted to be around for a long time. I always said I wanted to be here for a good time.
I guess there's enough information out there to support that I'm a crazy, wild dude and rock and roll and this, that and the other. And there's enough information to support that, you know, I'm a single father, that, you know, has been a pretty standup guy in his community and pretty private about that stuff.
I think anybody that's worked hard and has built something and has been successful can testify to how, you know, how wonderful that was, how wonderful it still is.
I don't tell 'U.S. Weekly' which parties I'm going to. I write songs.
I didn't want to go out and change anything. I just wanted to make the music that was part of my background, which was rock and blues and hip-hop.
And there's a feeling you get from making music that is unlike anything else in the world.
You know, I guess there's enough information out there to support that I'm a crazy, wild dude and rock and roll and this, that and the other. And there's enough information to support that, you know, I'm a single father, that, you know, has been a pretty standup guy in his community and pretty private about that stuff. But it's on both sides.
Money's really - you know, song writing, yes, there's money to be made and things like that. But really, when you talk about the real money, you talk about touring. No question.
