Every once in awhile I'll call up Eddie (Van Halen) and ask, Found that fourth chord yet?

ZZ Top did get a chance to play with Lightnin' Hopkins and Jimmy Reed, there's still that one, single song we just can't shake... J.B. Hutto's "Combination Boogie".

A blown-out tube ripped some of the grind from the amplifier, throwing us into a momentary tizzy. The unusual sound led me to play unusually, and the recorded take turned out to be a keeper. Insriration can come from the most unlikely places ... keep your head on and your ears open.

It doesn't take much to be good, but it takes a lot to be real good.

Experience is definitely the high road once driven. It actually enhances the songwriting and song sourcing process.

My discussion with Keith Richards about the creative process led me to believe that there's an invisible presence of a stream of ever-flowing creativity that we overhear-all you have to do is pull up the antenna and dial it in. This presence allows you to maintain your sense of origin and move forward.

Sounds like the blues are composed of feeling, finesse, and fear.