I think Clapton is brilliant. He's the only one who moved me. The only one who made me want to play the guitar.

If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that’s a wonderful thing.

A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I'm very brutal on my instruments, but not all the time.

Holdsworth is so damned good that I can't cop anything. I can't understand what he's doing. I've got to do this [does two-hand tapping], whereas he'll do it with one hand.

Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.

If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you'll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually you'll get to where you want to be.

I was trying to take the band in a direction that I thought was appropriate, and Roth was trying to take the band in more of a Las Vegas direction. And there he is.