I have so many opinions about everything it just comes out during my music. It's a battle for me. I try not to be preachy. That's a real danger.

I have a lot faith in the younger generation of music lovers. Youth isn't living in the past; if somebody tells them that there's something better than what they have, they're going to check it out. And if they like it, they're going to get it. I'm not worried about the youth. Young people aren't just looking back, they are also looking forward.

This thing called Patriot Act, through which we abdicated a lot of our civil rights to defend the country against terrorism, it's a four-year story.

The Arabic states have to be integrated into the Iraqi reconstruction. We need the help of the Arabic community, which understands its culture. Americans arrive, invade, occupy.

That's a defining moment, there, when someone plays an instrument that everyone relates to around the planet.

As important as the funds are, the vision is the greatest gift.

I always try to get behind the guy steering the ship. That's the kind of guy I am.