Deep down inside, I'm a cheeseball and still listen to Bryan Adams and all that stuff.
There's always a spot, any time we make a new record, where I literally go back to Judas Priest and Motorhead because you have to. You have to go back and understand where this all started for you and keep reminding yourself of that.
There's always an element of truth to what I write because that's why I write.
I dare anybody to display a more amazing body of work than Tom Petty.
It doesn't matter how you're dressed onstage or what you say in your songs: that doesn't give anybody the right to invade your personal space.
We don't dip our toe into religion or politics, because you can't win.
Even now - I'm 35 - I've been in a relationship for 15 years with a guy, and we have two full incomes and no kids, and it's hilarious. We're children, perpetually, because of this rock and roll thing. But it's still so fulfilling.
I ended up starting guitar because I didn't want to just be the lead singer.
I remember that when people started listening to what I had to say, I had a choice to set up a veil, even if it meant being something that I'm not. Ultimately, that's not the decision I made. I owned more of everything I am, which was a little nerve-racking.
My first Gibson was a '91 Les Paul Custom tobacco burst. I still have it - it's still amazing-sounding - but it took me a long time of saving up to get that guy!
Here's the breakdown: alcohol dehydrates you and stimulates acid reflux. Then, when you sing on dry, irritated vocal folds, your folds swell. When your folds swell, they cause hoarseness, which makes you feel like you have to push harder to get a sound out.
I got this cheap guitar, and then I fell in love with it and basically put down the keyboard.
What I really realized is that by being myself, regardless of what that means, you become a better role model.
I wore Chuck Taylors for a couple shows, and the second show I wore the Chuck Taylors, that was the one and only time I fell onstage. I haven't really bit it onstage in high heels yet. It will happen. It's not about if, it's about when.
I've been talking a lot about how music chooses you because you can pinpoint when you had the epiphany that, 'Wow, I really want to do this.' But there's no real rhyme or reason about choosing to be in this industry. It's one of those things where there is no real guarantee; there is no real rulebook to follow.
I love using lots of different pedals in the studio because you have the time to experiment with sounds. But when you're singing, fronting a rock band, and playing, you don't really want to have to think about a lot of that stuff.
When we began to tour, no one expected me to be a part of the band, so I used that as a tool, and would start the set off-stage or in the audience, as a surprise, because no one expected this little girl to get up and rock the way I do.
Something that I don't normally tell, and it's not necessarily because I wanna keep it from anybody - I just don't think about it - but one thing about me that not a whole lot of people know and that never really gets brought up is that I actually don't have a driver's license. I've never taken a driver's test.
There's a misconception that, as you have success with a band for a long time, things get easier, and that's not necessarily true. It's harder to keep connecting with that fire that got you started in the first place when you're amongst all the politics in the business, and just having a little bit of that looming pressure.
I grew up in a household that never talked about limitations.
