I had been on tour with people like Roy Orbison. I knew Bobby Darin, Sam Cooke. So many great performers.

I was a schooled musician. When I made 'Blue Velvet', I told everyone what to do. I was an arranger. I learned music in school I told the band to play this. I told the guitar to do that.

As far as critics, I'm not a hip guy. I was never on drugs. Nobody ever felt sorry for me 'cause I went straight or found God. I always had God. I've always like, played by the rules.

Hey, we've all been to high school We've seen the in-crowds. Most of us have been in the outer crowds, the people who weren't in. Although I was never in, I was selling records and was very happy.

Session musicians kind of respected me because what I was talking about made sense. That all came from an education. Believe me, education does you more good. Maybe that's the reason I've been around so long.

To me, there was nothing greater than to play for an audience and to entertain people and that has stayed with me all these years.

It's just different today. Nobody seems to last too long these days. I wouldn't know how to get started today.