We are living in a time when American popular music is finally being recognized as one of our most successful exports. The demand is huge.

• I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.
• In an age of incompetence, I've been able to last in this crazy business. I actually know how to play my ax and write a song. That's my job.
• As human beings, we need to know that we are not alone, that we are not crazy or completely out of our minds, that there are other people out there who feel as we do, live as we do, love as we do, who are like us.
• More than art, more than literature, music is universally accessible.
• In an age of incompetence, I've been able to last in this crazy business. I actually know how to play my ax and write a song. That's my job.
• I've crashed my car three times.
• When I was a young musician, the only option available to pursue secondary education in music was to attend a classical conservatory.
• Historically, musicians know what it is like to be outside the norm - walking the high wire without a safety net. Our experience is not so different from those who march to the beat of different drummers.
• Like family, we are tied to each other. This is what all good musicians understand.
• When I was 19, I made my first good week's pay as a club musician. It was enough money for me to quit my job at the factory and still pay the rent and buy some food. I freaked.