Q: Do you score all of your music?
A: It's either written down on a piece of paper or I know what I'm doing before I start spending money in the studio. No jam session.

Q: Did you ever get to meet Igor Stravinsky?
A: No. I met his mailman, though. In Hollywood. As a matter of fact, his mailman used to be my high school English teacher. After he quit teachin' school, he found that he could make more money as a mailman and Stravinsky was on his route.

Q: I've heard that you have, an enormous collection of blues records. Do you think blues is dying?
A: Well, let's face it, not too many people like to listen to blues. But that doesn't mean the art form should die. Not too many people like to listen to Renaissance recorder music, either, but there's still people playing that. I think if more blues musicians had blue hair and clothes with diagonal zippers, the audience would probably pick up. (read more)

You have been accused of being cynical to the optimism of the '60s. The Beatles put out Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and you responsed with a mock version of We're Only In It For The Money, which denounced hippie conformism. Why did you take this stance?

I took that stance because I was right. Look at this society today with political groups like the PMRC. This would have been unheard of in the '60s. So many people have conformed. I just saw it happening before anyone else.

Now, you've been accused of promoting decadence through your lyrics...

Nobody ever accused me of saying anything nasty. I've been left off every one of the lists of offensive musicians. However, John Denver is on the lists, as is Springsteen and Stevie Wonder. (read more)