The Internet, the camera cellphone and the like have not only sped up the world's information uptake, but they have cheapened that which they capture.

For me, returning to Los Angeles annihilates the memories of where I have just been with an astonishing speed.

Please don't think that I am one of those squishy types who can't handle reality. I have plenty of real-world things to deal with all the time. I have deadlines, meetings, I answer the phone, I get turned down, I wait in lines and am forced to pass for normal all the time.

What if Americans were all judged by the actions of the Bush administration and people did not know the truth? That America is full of people who are, at present, poorly represented and poorly catered to by the media.

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

I've never raped or killed anybody, or hurt a kid. I've done all the more inept, high-volume stuff - like, "Whoops, sorry I came in your hair. Don't worry, I won't use your name when I tell this story on stage."

I always found the Chicago audience to be a smart, fast-moving, violent and cheerful lot, and it's always good to be back.