My people have very subtle slang, inflections and ways of saying things that has little to do with words. If you're from the same place, you'll feel the jargon and know exactly what's happening. Same with any neighborhood cat. What he sees and hears and feels and lives makes him what he is. That's what blues is.

The allusion was that I was actually naked. I loved that. It always, kind of shocked people enough that they became mine immediately.

Through music you can become sad, joyful, loving, you can learn. You can learn mathematics, touch, pacing... Oh my God! Ooh... Wow... You can see colors through music. Anything!

I feel more alive now than I ever have in my life. I have a chance to live, as I've dreamed.

It doesn't matter to me what is going on today because my music encompasses every kind of mood that exists in human beings. That's my stick.

My job is not done. I address my songs now to the third world. I am popular all over Asia and Africa and the Middle East, not to speak of South Africa, where I'm trying to go to see Nelson Mandela.

I don't like to go to strange places. I was in Italy for about five hours on my way to Africa.