It's not about success. Whatever happens, it doesn't matter. I would like to not go bankrupt or get some incurable disease, but other than that, I'm just happy to keep going.

My mom bought me a white Strat, but that wasn't what I wanted, so I went to a guitar store in Cleveland and - the guy told me it was a really good deal - made an even swap for a blue Teisco Del Ray. I loved that guitar and used it a bunch.

People will say, 'Just one picture please.' That is how it starts. There is just one picture and then somebody else wants another. And when I say 'No' I feel guilty.

Some people love being onstage and really open up, and I'm sort of the opposite of that. I don't crave the spotlight. I'm still not comfortable even talking onstage.

Well, when The Black Keys make a record, I never really feel limited. To me, it seems the possibilities are always endless. The big difference has been playing live and being able to recreate every little part of the record.

When I learned to play music, I was listening to blues music. And all the blues music I liked was super simple and stripped down. And then all the hip hop I liked was super simple and stripped down and we always heard that connection.

When I recorded my solo album, 'Keep It Hid,' in 2008, I'd gotten more interested in songwriting, inspired by reading Charles Bukowski and connecting with unfancy, interesting language.

You get to bring your own sound system when you play an arena, all the lights and visual stuff, which I think is really cool. There's something about those old arenas, where it feels larger than life.

I am nice to everybody. But people really take advantage of it.

A Grammy is really nice, but having lots of fans is really nice, too. I think just getting a record out is a success on its own.

Bands from Akron have a sense of humor and don't tend to take themselves too seriously.

Coming from a smaller place always made things feel more personal, which is really what it's all about.

Dude, everybody wants to be Andre 3000. He's got abs for days. How does that guy get so ripped?

Everybody always wants to rebel against their parents' music, but nobody listened to music louder than my dad.

Guitar solos bore the hell out of me. Only a few guitarists interest me, and it's not about the solos they play, it's about the grooves they create.

I tend to name albums after one of the songs.

I'm definitely a guitar player, but it's the last thing I listen to in a song, after the singer and the drums.

I'm not afraid of the Canadian tuxedo.

I'm really not worried about what fans think.

My mum's family would all get together, with guitars, harmonica, mandolins and upright bass and play old blues and folk songs. That was normal to me.