Alan [Lomax] and his father started off changing the definition of folk music from something ancient and anonymous to something very contemporary.

I would ask, "How can one have a technological society without research? How can one have research without researching dangerous areas? How can one research dangerous areas without uncovering dangerous information? How can you uncover dangerous information without it falling into the hands of insane people who will sooner or later destroy the human race, if not the whole of life on earth?" Who knows? God only knows!

Throughout history the leaders of the countries have been very particular about what songs should be sung. We know the power of songs.

A song is like a picture of a bird in flight; the bird was moving before the picture was taken, and no doubt continued after.

Now any person who plays an acoustic guitar standing up on stage with a microphone is a folk singer. Some grandmother with a baby in her arms singing a 500-year-old song, well, she's not a folk singer, she's not on stage with a guitar and a microphone. No, she's just an old grandmother singing an old song. The term "folk singer" has gotten warped.

I never intended to make a living from music. That's the funny thing. I wanted to be a journalist.

The first country conquered by any dictator is his own country.