All people have is hope. That's what brings the next day and whatever that day may bring... A hope grounded in the real world of living, friendship, work, family...

From the beginning, I imagined I would have a long work life.

They put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a foreign land to go and kill the Yellow man.

Physical pain is my friend. I pursue it every night for four hours.

You need two things to remain very, very present. You need to continue to write well and engage yourself in the issues of the day. And you have to continue to make good, relevant records.

Well now I'm no hero, that's understood. All the redemption I can offer girl, is beneath this dirty hood. With a chance to make it good somehow, hey what else can we do now? Except roll down the window, and let the wind blow back your hair. Well the night's busting open, these two lanes will take us anywhere. We got one last chance to make it real.

I never start with a political point of view. I believe that your politics are emotionally and psychologically determined by your early experiences.