I hear the word 'tolerance'-tha t some people are trying to teach people to be tolerant of gays. I'm not satisfied with that word. I am gay, and I am not seeking to be 'tolerated'. One tolerates a toothache, rush-hour traffic, an annoying neighbor with a cluttered yard. I am not a negative to be tolerated.

I guess we guess our way through life. How many times do we really know for sure?

I'm very much a traditionalist, but I think it's important to know about tradition so that you can evolve the music you are deciding to make.

Being born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in the very rural parts of Kansas led me to believe that everything was simple, everything made sense and that anything was possible.

I grew up in a very modest house. We were poor-we lived on the poverty level. We all got jobs as young kids.

I came along at a time when the industry was eating its young.

I'm not a Democrat, I'm not a Republican-I'm an American, I'm a human.