My identity shifted when I got into recovery. That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have that identity than to be a musician or anything else, because it keeps me in a manageable size. When I'm down on the ground with my disease-which I'm happy to have-it gets me in tune. It gives me a spiritual anchor. Don't ask me to explain.

'My Father's Eyes' is very personal. I realized that the closest I ever came to looking in my father's eyes was when I looked into my son's eyes.

My definition of Blues is that it's a musical form which is very disciplined and structured coupled with a state of mind, and you can have either of those things but it's the two together that make it what it is. And you need to be a student for one, and a human being for the other, but those things alone don't do it.

Having lovers and friends is all good and fine But I don't like yours and you don't like mine.

I thought, 'My God, this is like Buddy Guy on acid.'

And I don't like having my picture taken. I'm almost like an old African in that sense. I think it steals a bit of the soul.

Risk is trying to control something you are powerless over.