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My advice is, if you are going to go on 'X Factor,' you have to know who you are as an artist.

I want to carry a show, but there are not a lot of leading parts for people who are not celebrities.

The focus is on singer/songwriters now rather than huge shows. I mean, of course there's always a place for that too.

I make charts of songs that are good candidates, good targets, so to speak. Then I try to come up with ideas for parodies. And 99% of those ideas are horrible.

Being performers, that's what we do: We put on shows and want people to watch.

I find a lot of up-and-coming musicians I enjoy, present them to my viewers - and hopefully inflate the growth of these artists by putting them in front an audience that wouldn't have been aware of them.

I probably should have a brand, but I think you can't get the best artists to work for you if you're branded. I get the trade-off, and I really would like to be more famous for my work, get more credit for my achievements.

Don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. Though it's crucial to make a living, that shouldn't be your inspiration. Do it for yourself.

I just really want to make a good show and make it as interesting as I can, and anything else is kind of above my pay grade.

The people that go on 'American Idol' do want some recognition and fame.