Make no mistake: Bob Ritchie's up early in the morning taking pictures of his son on the first day of his senior year. Kid Rock is passed out in a hotel room somewhere with four scantily-clad women.

If you had told me when I was starting out that I would be coming down to Nashville, kind of weaving in and out of the country scene, I never would've thought that in a million years.

I love women and I love the women I have been with. I always try to be kind and cautious and treat people nice.

I've paid for more pianos in hotel lobbies than you can imagine.

Politicians and music don't mix. It's like whiskey and wine.

The personal antics have overshadowed the music. I never wanted that but I knew what I was getting into when I got into everything I got into.

I signal with an independent label, Continuum. After that I put out a totally independent record, sold fourteen thousand of them from my basement, bought a house, started raising my kid, made a decent living.