Animals have always been therapeutic for me to work with; they help me get me grounded from being on the road.

I've never gone to school for recording. I wish I understood it more. School's been hard, learning things has been hard, because of the A.D.H.D., or dyslexia, or whatever you want to call it, but I know how to come up with stuff to bring it together.

It's a lot harder to keep your cool than it is to lose it. That's on any work ethic. Even if you're a big producer on a movie set, or whatever, it's a lot harder to be a pro than be a baby on your crew. That's one work ethic to keep in mind, as one bad apple could give five people a bad day, when that one person could've stepped up their own efforts a little more and not bring anyone else down.

I would have to go back to being a dog. I've called myself a dog for many years.

A one-night stand that waited three years to tell me I had a son. I needed cash flow fast, It was time to get into the business.

The best pay off in the world is when someone comes up to you and says, 'your music has helped me with some pretty rough times through life. I don't know if I would still be here if it was for your music whether it be country music or heavy metal has done for me.' That's ultimately the biggest payoff for me. I hear it from young kids to military guys and military women to older folks.

Balance is always tough with the kind of shows and my work ethic and all of that, but that definitely helps me do what I do in the big picture.