When I learned to play music, I was listening to blues music. And all the blues music I liked was super simple and stripped down. And then all the hip hop I liked was super simple and stripped down and we always heard that connection.

The Black Keys is just a band that wants to get on stage and rock it.

Songs aren't owned by anyone.

My mum's family would all get together, with guitars, harmonica, mandolins and upright bass and play old blues and folk songs. That was normal to me.

You know, there's always someone in mind when I'm writing. You know, it's all comes from somewhere inside.

It's hard to be spontaneous when you have 40 people in your crew, and you're playing to 16,000 people every night, and there's giant lighting rigs, it's hard to change direction on a dime.

When I'm writing with just an acoustic guitar, it can be for anyone.