It's not some great work of beauty and love to be a rock-and-roll singer.

I'm so aware of the fact that if I hadn't taken the chances that I've taken along the line, I probably wouldn't be getting the best out of my voice anymore, I might have messed it up in that awful, predictable place.

You feel quite distant by playing at huge stadiums year after year, where you only can see a great darkness in front of you

There are always generic terms like 'Americana', but there are no boundaries as to where it can go.

Dolly Parton's done 'Stairway to Heaven.' Anything's possible.

I'd break out in hives if I had to sing (`Stairway to Heaven') in every show. I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in 1971, but 17 years later, I don't know. It's just not for me. I sang it at the Atlantic Records show because I'm an old softie and it was my way of saying thank you to Atlantic because I've been with them for 20 years. But no more of `Stairway to Heaven' for me.

So for a long time I closed my eyes to the possibility of America having a white voice.