Nothing unifies people more than music, more than that universal riff. The one thing that unifies us and the hope that we can have, especially being an artist, is that we can create music that can build bridges and smash down very bad ideas.
There's certain artists that are meant to have certain paths and go the way of the corporate world. And then there are artists who are artists.
I knew I was an exhibitionist. I came from a huge family. I found an emotional connection being on stage.
So-called leaders aren't doing anything, so it's become the job of artists like me. We have to get on the front lines and fight for the people who have love and tolerance in their hearts and want to live in a unified world.
I want to be an artist, not be in the business of making hit records. Once I figured that out, everything became clear.
I hope I contribute something useful to the human family. That's my intention. And I hope that it's useful to people.
Fantastic Negrito is a persona, an incarnation in my third phase.
Ain't nobody more punk rock than Robert Johnson, Lead Belly, even Little Richard.
Live performance is everything. First of all, I have terrible stage fright. But beyond that, once the music starts, it's OK.
I always call myself a recovering narcissist. I lived my life thinking everything was about me.
I could have worked with great people like Nile Rodgers, which I regret. I don't have many regrets, but I remember he'd shown some interest, and I was just in my own world, man.
I wanted to do life, do something interesting. I ran out of things I wanted to say in my music, so I just put it down, sold all my gear, and put on some overalls and reconnected with the soil.
I heard Skip James, and it pierced me. It felt like punk rock to me, real and raw. It was just one guitar, so simple yet so much expression. I wanted to feel and express like that, to take the shortest path to get to an emotion.
As long as we have have predatory capitalism, we'll have guns because the gun industry loves to make money out of guns.
My most revered hero is Robert Johnson. His lyrics are so consistent with rap: the danger, the boldness, the creativity.
I usually go to secondhand stores and find what I can. I like finding interesting things: vests, blazers. I tell the band, 'We got to look good when we're up there.' I learned it from Miles Davis. I read about his suits in his biography. Suits mean you're getting paid, and I like the idea that he looked good in his suits.
Prince was a hero. He was the brother, the black man that was a little different. As a kid, you thought, 'Wow, he's different. If he can do it, I can do it.' I read that he was self-taught, so I started teaching myself to play the piano.
The idea of 'raw' music, to me, is honesty: getting people to feel you with the least amount of production possible, the shortest distance traveled emotionally, sonically.
