Government is, at every level, a means to gather in the labor and wealth of the people, and then instruct the people about new restrictions or monitoring of their lives.

I think music changed when Bruce Springstee came on the scene. I think if it wasn't for Bruce Springstee, music would have gone in a very scary direction. We may have gotten to where disco music ruled - and I would've had to quit.

The American experiment has come and gone. Whatever freedoms the people still might have as their own, are monitored and registered and taxed at virtually every turn.

Another guitar player who had a tremendous influence on my life was Howard Roberts ... I'd listened to a lot of Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith and Kenny Burrell, and I was certainly into those guys, but I was awestruck at the intensity and fire in Howards' guitar playing... for me, it became a roadmap.

... I think the idea of crossing over is the ultimate expression of being ... Maybe it's time to play rock and roll on disco ... maybe it's time to play heavy metal on R & B, things like that. Certainly culminating on things like Aerosmith doing the rap thing with Run DMC, which if they hadn't done that, or if Eddie hadn't played with Michael Jackson, or if I hadn't done "Hot Stuff", people would have said "You can't do that"

Government is, at every level, a means to gather in the labor and wealth of the people, and then instruct the people about new restrictions or monitoring of their lives.