With the White Stripes we were trying to trick people into not realising we were playing the blues. We did not want to come off like white kids trying to play black music from 100 years ago so a great way to distract them was by dressing in red, white and black.

Great work comes from great joy. Leave the angst for the movies; do art - that is fun.

The secret of a successful art career is to make more art that folks think they need than pieces they just want. When a piece of art emotionally connects with a person the work becomes a need. You are then on your way to becoming successful.

I think it takes a lot of trickery to keep up with the media and its perception of you. I don't know if I have it in me most of the time to care. The music is made first, and the interviews or photos to keep it alive come later as a necessary evil, I suppose.

Jesus Christ, is this an NPR convention?

Relationships of any kind are powerful, and they always influence an artist. It's inescapable.

My mother was 45 when she had me, so when I was in high school my parents were the same age as my friends' grandparents.