"Diamonds & Rust" started off as another song. Then the words started to morph. When you write a song that deep, the words come from some place else. But when the songs stop coming, it would be so contrived to try and force it. Since then I've just been doing other people's music.

I've been obsessed with stopping people from blowing each other's brains out since I was ten.

Action is the antidote to despair.

We were raised with that discussion about violence and non-violence, and we all pretty much came up on the side of non-violence. That became my foundation with politics and my livelihood.

I've never had a humble opinion. If you've got an opinion, why be humble about it?

I have heard more than once, 'Shut up and sing!' and I get it now.

I am so disconnected from the world of rock 'n' roll. I was always peripheral, partly because of the drug culture. I was not involved in that.