I am very ambitious in a way, in that I'm not trying to be the richest guy or whatever. I just really like my work.

Without the blues, modern music would be nothing like it is now - not remotely.

I like it better that people aren't throwing stuff at my face and trying to fight me on stage. Like in the '80s, it was just aggravating all the time... I have scars from cigars and cigarettes on me, Bic pens, burns from cigarette lighters, all that.

I try to get myself up and moving as early as possible. Optimum is to be on the treadmill while it is still dark outside.

Could it be that violence is as much a part of the American identity as the Constitution, and a vital component to its economic stability?

You have to get away from them. You have to get as far away as you can otherwise they'll kill you with their lives. They don't know what they do. They are careless with themselves and they take too much for granted. They make their shortcomings your problem. The only way to keep your head above it and heal your wounds is to crawl away.

My laptop seems to know where I am, even if I don't. My cellphone asks me if I want directions to anywhere from the spot I am standing in. I buy a record online and Amazon.com sends me letters, telling me that people who bought what I bought also bought these other records.