I was looking for some way to put my music to some service on a nightly basis. You go into a town, you play a little music, you leave something behind. That idea connected us to the local community. It was a very simple idea, but it really resonated with me.

When I first started in rock, I had a big guy's audience for my early records. I had a very straight image, particularly through the mid '80s.

Most artists I know consider themselves to be phonies, along with the feeling that there's something that you're doing is essential, essential to communicate, and deeply, deeply real.

Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty. And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

I come from a boardwalk town where almost everything is tinged with a bit of fraud. So am I.

What if what you do to survive kills the things you love?

I don't want to make a record like in the '50s or the '60s or the '70s. I want to make a record like today, that`s right now.