You know, as a writer, I'm more of a listener than a writer, cuz if I hear something I will write it down.

And I wound up in New Orleans for all those years and it was a great place, really a catalyst creatively.

And I try to give the best bang for the buck. I love performing more than anything else.

At 57, to have a No. 1 album, I wasn't expecting it.

I always said that I wouldn't use a teleprompter, and if I start to sing real flat, I'll hang it up.

I sell escapism.

It's been wonderful for me, and I feel so privileged to have fans that are that loyal.

Moderation is the key so I work certain amount of time and then I take a certain amount of time off.

Phish and Dave Matthews really know their audiences and really treat them well.

Quitting doesn't enter my mind.

And you find as a writer there are certain spots on the planet where you write better than others, and I believe in that. And New Orleans is one of them.

I can only say the first thing that pops into my mind is I remember, years ago, seeing kind of a has-been country singer working - when I first moved to Nashville - in a bar in a Holiday Inn.

Places I've lived since then had to have some kind of uniqueness and character about them. And logically Key West, and then Down Island. So, all of that stuff sort of had it's roots in New Orleans and went crazy.

The stores and the things like that, the business side of things came out at the point when, I'd say probably in the early '70s, it looked like the year of the singer-songwriter was over, 'cause music changed in our time and the spotlight was out.

Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party.

If life gives you limes, make margaritas.

If we weren't all crazy, we'd just go insane.

I just want to live happily ever after, every now and then.

Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.

Humor has bailed me out of more tight situations than I can think of. If you go with your instincts and keep your humor, creativity follows. With luck, success comes, too.