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I had an invitation to contribute a track to a Robert Johnson tribute album, and it was the first time I'd done anything like that in my life. I was not brought up with the blues or anything like that, and I really, really enjoyed it.

There are a lot better musicians than me out there that just haven't had the luck to fall into everything like I have.

And of course, the musician - if he's serious - always answers: My last album is my best, otherwise I wouldn't have done it.

How lucky can one guy get? I was a runaway, and then I was in one of the biggest bands in the world. I've sold out every arena. I've sold millions and millions of records.

I consider myself very lucky indeed to have had the career I have. I listen to the radio now and you can't tell artists apart.

I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still blessed with the opportunity to make music and pass out a message like, 'Life is good,' to the world.

My guitar heroes are Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck and people like that - so I've tried to make an album of Robert Johnson covers that, well, while not totally faithful for blues purists, is faithful for people like me that grew up with the '60s and the electric blues-rock versions of Johnson's songs.

To be honest, I've made a game out of trying to live through my James Dean, Janis Joplin, Freddie Prinze, Jim Morrison period, those demons that we all have that we're either successful or not at making work for us rather than destroy us.

With the first album, I wanted to do so many different things, and I was fighting with myself to try and see if I was worthy enough to do it.

Robert Johnson? No, I didn't know him, personally.