America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing.

Industry executives sacrificed art for what sells and mega-stars now saturate the market with the same tired lyrics.

If I had to pick one social action I could encourage all my friends, family and fans to do, it would be to teach a child. One, to educate them about good music, but two, because that kind of relationship helps build a bond. When you share music with somebody, that then becomes your link to them. Music is what connects a lot of us, over borders.

People in the Middle East may consider the U.S. an evil hegemony that has tainted their culture, but when I look at the growth of racial and ethnic tolerance and understanding in my generation in the U.S., and see those sentiments make it around the world, it makes me feel proud.

I think by the next generation either we'll have a lot of idiots who are just completely immersed in media and corporatized information, or we'll have people who enjoy media and corporatized information, but are more interconnected with human beings around the world ... And who share common goals and are willing to accept that they are a global citizen. I think the latter is more the direction.

What do you actually need? Food, clothing and shelter. Everything else is entertainment.

America's biggest export is media and I think that's a positive thing.