People are so brainwashed by the rules that they don't know what really matters.

Always as a musician you must have one thing you do well.

I think it's very important that you have at least some sort of inner thing you don't talk about. That's why I find it distasteful when all these pop stars talk about their habits.

When Gimme Shelter was recorded, early '69 or something, it was a time of war and tension, so that's reflected in this tune. It's still wheeled out when big storms happen, as they did the other week. It's been used a lot to evoke natural disaster.

One song isn't going to ever change things, but I suppose it's the accumulation of music generally [that is]. If you can imagine a world that has no music in it, it would be a very different world, so music does change the world by virtue of all the music in it. Cumulative music of every kind, from banging a drum to playing a flute or recording symphonies, or singing 'War, what is it good for?' All those things change the whole way we live.

Polarization affects families and groups of friends. Its a paralyzing situation. A civil war of opinion.

Have I turned into a motorized preacher? We spend so much time in cars that if you don't try to get some experiences out of it, you can go crazy.