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To get to record and to do things with the legends, and with the people that are your musical heroes, that's the biggest honor as an artist.

I've patterned myself after my musical heroes.

My secret heroes were Joe Morello, Ray Charles - who is, in my opinion, the most dominant figure in musical history in the 21st century - and Frank Sinatra. Those are my heroes. And as a writer, when Bob Dylan came along, it was a miracle because he gave us all permission to say anything!

Being a songwriter, singer, and a great part of a unit is more important than being Joe Guitar Hero.

My heroes are people like Picasso and Miro and people who at last really reach something in their old age, which they absolutely couldn't ever have done in their youth.

You want a hero in the music world? James Brown. He brought a feeling to music without really using words. He's just famous for his sound.

All musicians start out with ideals but hanging on to them in the face of media scrutiny takes real integrity. Tougher still is to live up to the ideals of your dedicated fans.

Whatever obstacle comes your way, you gotta be prepared to jump over it! And I think that's what separates the legends from the regular artists. It's all in how you manage that success, and how you deal with the controversy when it actually comes.

Heroes in drama are people who try hard to reach a virtuous ideal. And whether they succeed or fail really doesn't matter - it's the trying that counts.

At the end of the day, there's only a few major stars in the music business, and then there's all these people that are aspiring to be that.