I never accepted the idea that I had to be guided by some pattern or blueprint.

But I was singing loud, and most singers weren't singing loud.

I try to be a guide for people, to make their darkness bright and to make the pathway light, and never to condemn or control or criticize.

It was a way out of poverty. It was a way to success. It was a way to education. And it was a way to a brighter day for me.

I let people know that it was all right to do the kinds of things I did.

They shoulda called me Little Cocaine, I was sniffing so much of the stuff! My nose got big enough to back a diesel truck in, unload it, and drive it right out again.

I gave up rock 'n' roll for the rock of ages! I used to be a glaring homosexual until God changed me!