No, I always felt that amongst my core fans- because there was a level of popularity that I had in the mid '80s that was sort of a bump on the scale- they fundamentally understood the values that are at work in my work.

The first time I heard Bob Dylan, I was in the car with my mother listening to WMCA, and on came that snare shot that sounded like somebody'd kicked open the door to your mind.

I'm interested in what it means to be an American. I'm interested in what it means to live in America. I'm interested in the kind of country that we live in and leave our kids. I'm interested in trying to define what that country is.

The audiences are there as a result of my history with the band but also as a result of my being able to reach people with a tune.

I wanted to be the reasonable voice of revenge for what I'd seen [my father] life come to.

There's an opera out on the turnpike, there's a ballet being fought out in the alley.

Our American government has strayed too far from American values. It is time to move forward. The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.