I don't see how the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy which destroys families that have been here a quarter century.

When you live on the road going home is a place to escape and just be with your family to unwind.

I came from a poor family so working and going to school at the same time was natural. It taught me multi-tasking although we didn't call it that back then. I learned I could never be idle I need to be doing many things at once.

I was raised by a single mother who made a way for me. She used to scrub floors as a domestic worker put a cleaning rag in her pocketbook and ride the subways in Brooklyn so I would have food on the table. But she taught me as I walked her to the subway that life is about not where you start but where you're going. That's family values.

Everything happens for a reason. I'm used to it I prepare for it. Like I say at the end of the day those in charge of their own destiny are going to do what's right for them and their family.

Christmas can have a real melancholy aspect 'cause it packages itself as this idea of perfect family cohesion and love and you're always going to come up short when you measure your personal life against the idealized personal lives that are constantly thrust in our faces primarily by TV commercials.

If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest craziest most dysfunctional family in the world all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair you'll be going 'you know we're alright. We are dang near royalty.'

If I win and get the money then the Oakland Police department is going to buy a boys' home me a house my family a house and a Stop Police Brutality Center.

The other night I ate at a real nice family restaurant. Every table had an argument going.

I love children and I get along with them great. It's just that I believe if you're going to be a parent there has to be something inside you that says 'I want a family.' I don't feel that sense of urgency.

At a certain point I'm going to want to have a family.

I have a family to support. And I'm not always going to be doing exactly what I want to do.

The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have.

When you look around right now Nashville is kind of going through another changing of guard you're watching the Martina McBrides and the Faith Hills and all of them that have been the big stars for the last however many years and the next generation is coming in: Miranda Lambert Carrie Underwood those girls.

It is something that is called MDS. It is a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. I'm going to beat this. My doctors say it and my faith says it.

I'm still going to make mistakes but I don't have any problems with publicly professing my faith now. It just took me a long time to get to the right place in my relationship with Christ.

But back to your question it was a wonderful experience with the Art Ensemble and I keep in contact and sort of follow what's going on but it was also very important to make this step you may say this leap of faith.

It's really important to say this. Often the faith schools were founded before the state provided education. I want good education in this country so I'm not going to slag off faith schools. I think that it's important that people of different backgrounds and different faiths go to school together and many faith schools do that.

There is a split between Muslims who want to practice their faith in peace and tolerance with other religions and other people and these extreme radical fundamentalists who have shown a total lack of tolerance for people with different views starting with people who they don't think are good Muslims and going on to include Christians and Jews.

I come from a Christian faith. I am not going to give you insight into my particular beliefs.

I don't think it's any coincidence that I lost my religious faith and 'manned up' in the same year. I was described somewhere as a lapsed Catholic which is funny because I'm not going back! I want to achieve things rather than live life in an animalistic way.

So many of my friends are still trying to get record deals and I've had one for 10 years now where my only goal is to make the best music I can make. I've been very lucky. I have great faith that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be and whatever happens is going to be absolutely right for me.

When you put your total faith in God no matter what happens to a person who's a true believer if you die you know you're going to heaven to be with God.

Learning how to relive again on life's terms sure doesn't do much for your confidence. You have to kind of walk in faith that the next step is going to be just a little bit better than the last step.