Why there aren't people out there willing to have fun playing rock 'n' roll. I just don't get it.

Obviously, the music and lyrics are in me, but if I let myself get in my own way, I do. I empty out and let it come, and then the music spirits take over.

I wanted to be an actor, an astrologer, an astronaut; a lot of different things were going through my mind. But I also wanted to play guitar. I mentioned to my parents that I wanted an electric guitar for Christmas. They got me one! I sat there all Christmas morning making a lot of loud horrible noise.

I'm not necessarily intimidated by really jocky guys. I can talk football with them, you know what I mean?

We were really grown up for our age and it was an incredible special band.

Even though everybody's lives are different, in general we're all human beings, and we go through the same things: disappointments, the pleasures of life, life and death. That's always been a really big part of the show to me, making sure the audience feels connected, and that carries through to the album.

My guitar is not a thing. It is an extension of myself. It is who I am.