But my strength was in singing and songwriting which was a new discovery for me when I was 18. And I decided if I pursued songwriting which is what was closest to my heart then there would be no competition. I would just live my life being myself and living my dream.

My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field the only thing to do was keep swinging.

What business has science and capitalism got bringing all these new inventions into the works before society has produced a generation educated up to using them!

I like to express certain things that happen in my life the joy of spring the birds singing and young babies coming into the world. You know the whole thing as well as the part I'm not happy with the sad part.

It always makes me sad when I think of how I saw Wagner wasting his vitality not only by singing their parts to some of his artists but acting out the smallest details and of how few they were who were responsive to his wishes.

I'm part of the party getting the crowd fired up singing songs pouring drinks whatever it takes to get them to have a good time. When I walk into the meet-and-greet someone's always going to have a story a sad story or a happy story.

You put a song on the record or on tape and you stop singing it. You just don't sit around and sing it anymore unless you're performing. That's kind of sad.

Ideally I would love to mix singing and acting but you can only be a pop star for so many years. I mean at 30 it's a little bit sad right?

So many schools are getting rid of music programs and it's really sad because I know that when I started singing and stuff it was something that I always wanted to do and I never believed in myself to be able to do it.

At a time when 2500 American soldiers have given their lives for the cause of bringing democracy to Iraq it is sad and frustrating to watch the Republican establishment disgrace the exercise of democracy in our own House of Representatives.

Anyone who can do the splits and come back up on the backbeat as James Brown and Prince can has my eternal respect. Prince who is a genius of the highest order can come back up while singing and playing the guitar.

What I miss today more than anything else - I don't go to church as much anymore - but that old-time religion that old singing that old praying which I love so much. That is the great strength of my being of my writing.

What is normally called religion is what I would tend to call music - participating in music listening to music making records and singing.

Hey I'm a Catholic deer hunter I am happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion.

In the first Spider-Man at the end of the movie Peter Parker had to deny himself a relationship with a girl that he's in love with. The very next thing that happens is that he's swinging through the city.

I'm working on my relationship with my mother and father but my upbringing has been very destructive.

I've been singing for six years. I've been in and out of the studios with top producers but it wasn't something I was ready to express to the public or to the press. I wasn't ready to come out. I wanted to perfect my voice and be 100 percent positive that I could come out right.

And I know I'm supposed to feel guilty for wanting people to buy my books... and books in general? Novels and poetry they belong to the realm of art. How dirty of us to try to hawk art! But after a decade of hand-wringing and apologies I can't quite muster the guilt anymore.

The same people who are murdered slowly in the mechanized slaughterhouses of work are also arguing singing drinking dancing making love holding the streets picking up weapons and inventing a new poetry.

I guess the two Manifesto Communicating Vessels Mad Love and some of his poetry made a significant mark on me but as far as bringing a literary element into the music I see it as a much broader assimilation.

I never really liked poetry readings I liked to read poetry by myself but I liked singing chanting my lyrics to this jazz group.

To attain inner peace you must actually give your life not just your possessions. When you at last give your life - bringing into alignment your beliefs and the way you live then and only then can you begin to find inner peace.

If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand rejoice for your soul is alive.

I'm definitely a Polaroid camera girl. For me what I'm really excited about is bringing back the artistry and the nature of Polaroid.