I think Perry Ferrell put independent music on a very good path with Lollapalooza.

The fact is, in the minds of many, Trayvon Martin received the appropriate punishment for a true crime: He was black, male and dared to walk outside. In life, young Trayvon was just a teenager; in death, he has been transformed into a scary, lurking, suspicious, prone-to-violence spook.

There are other people, other economies, governments, cultures, religions, and destinies going on at the same time as yours. You have to widen the scope of your lens and start seeing more. Because Americans, it's easy to make us freak out. When the going gets rough, you have to get conservative. That's what's happened to America in the last eight years. I just try to point out that there's more going on than most people pay attention to.

The first Van Halen album makes Johnny Rotten out to be what he really was and still is: a hairdresser.

I don't know how much you follow current events. For some, there's not enough time to keep up on what's happening; for others, the news is too depressing, and peering too deeply fills one with boiling frustration all too quickly.

'The Great Gatsby' is a book I have read a few times, and it seems to get heavier every time I come to visit.

I'm just shallow and self-interested, and don't get out much because I'm afraid of real commitments.