The poets down here don't write nothin' at all, they just stand back and let it all be.

The things that I loved about Bob's [Dylan] music - and I describe him in the book as the father of my country, which he really is - were things that just didn't fit when I went to do my job. You know, I'd come out of a somewhat different circumstance and shoes - the clothes just didn't fit.

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.

The different social forces that affected my parents' lives or my friends' lives or I saw around me became essential for me to write about.

I realized the only time I felt complete and peaceful was while I was playing or shortly afterwards, even though it was in front of thousands of other people, which most people wouldn't consider to be a safe place.

It doesn't matter what happened last night or the night - or tomorrow night. It's all about what you're doing with this audience right now.

I tend to be pessimistic. I want to believe in hope.