If anything I consider myself non-violent, I'm from the hippy era, peace, love, groovy.
You can't have rock and roll without drugs, you can't have rock and roll without sex.
I was going to get drafted, but I didn't really want to go into the Army.
I mean, Rick James was just a man-made image, the image I created. Just trying to live Rick James almost killed me.
After I saw Kiss on stage, I wanted my show to look like the fourth of July. The persona of Rick James was wild and crazy, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
I don't have aluminum foil on my windows anymore.
I love rap.
I went to India, lived, and studied.
I think rap definitely has its place in the art world. I think it is an art form. But, just like any art form, you can misuse it.
I'm trying to change the root of funk, trying to make it more progressive, more melodic and more lyrically structured.
I'm a long way from Ike Turner.
I had always been a free spirit and always gotten what I wanted.
I wrote and produced millions and millions of selling records, so my publishing company alone was worth millions of dollars. I didn't have to work anymore in life because when the rappers started sampling... I'm the most sampled artist in history.
I was angry about the fact that my father would beat my mother on a daily basis, that my mother would take it in turn and beat on me. I was an abused child. I was mad about all those things, very bitter and very angry.
I believe everything happens under God's plan anyway.
I'm really not tailored for responsibility.
I'm too old to do crazy things anymore.
I just live one day at a time.
I'm finally locked into the now, and it's great.
I wanted to play the Apollo because I didn't think I was going to be on the earth long.
