I like to celebrate the holiday season - not so much in a religious way, per se, but in a unifying way.
Michael McDonald
One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, I have to admit, was the Chipmunks' 'Christmas Song.' I remember playing that song over and over.
Where I grew up in St. Louis, Saturday was country music day on television. We'd watch the Bill Anderson show, the Willie Nelson show, the Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner show, and always the Grand Ole Opry. My parents were fans of that music, and my friend's parents would pull the TV out and watch those shows on the porch.
My friendship with The Doobie Brothers never really changed. We're all still good friends, and I really admire those guys a lot.
When I get in a bad mood about anything, I realize, 'Hey, I'm still working. It could always be a lot worse.'
We try to promote the Christmas season and remind people that it is a season of peace. That's what the season's real meaning is about. No matter what religion you are, there is that point in time where we should celebrate that idea of peace and humanity.
I think that's the one thing we all hope for in this life is we leave something of a legacy, that's meaningful to someone else, when we leave here.
Aretha Franklin is and will always be a national treasure.
Pat Simmons and I always had a great blend together. We did the background vocals on a Little Feat track called 'Red Streamliner,' and that was great fun. I always really loved the way it turned out.
I don't know that we ever overcome doubt. We just have to remember that it's more than likely a poodle in the bushes and not a grizzly bear.
Rap is like any other genre: There are the people who are very creative with it and do remarkable things... and then there's that whole quadrant that sounds alike. There's great stuff that's taken the genre to a new level over the years, and 'Regulate' was one of those tracks that was kind of a landmark.
Hey, I'd love to have a hit single, but if that doesn't happen, I'm not going to complain.
When I was with the Doobies, the style of music was that we all went over the falls with chord progressions, trying to make things as complex and interconnected as possible.
Since the '60s, we've lived so much in an age of quick fixes that the culture itself has become a quick fix.
When I listen to songs, to this day, I listen to the chords and the groove and the melody.
I do love the Nat King Cole stuff, the classic Christmas records. There's something about putting those records on and hearing his voice at Christmastime that brings back a lot of great memories of growing up.
I could never be grateful enough to the Doobies for the opportunities the organization gave me over the years.
I love writing Christmas music. It's some of the easiest songs to write... You draw from your own memories - it's kind of a wellspring of inspiration, in a way. With other songs, you know, you spend six months just trying to figure out what to write about.
Brian Owens is a young guy from Ferguson, Missouri, my hometown, who I don't think emulates me at all, but I really enjoy his particular style. He kind of makes me think of the older school of soul singers like Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye.
My first rock band was called Mike and the Majestics. I was about twelve, and my older sister Kathy was the manager. There were three of us: me and a friend on guitars and a drummer. We were young, but we played for a lot of fraternity parties, plugging both guitars and a microphone into one little amplifier.
I'd like to do something with Frank Ocean, you know, and I love working with Thundercat, and I'd love to do more with him.
While making any record, you look for the opportunity to bring someone who will help generate something special in the music environments you create.
There were certain Ray Charles albums and a couple of early Marvin Gaye records that I used to listen to with a vengeance. That's how you forge a style. It excites you, and you lean toward it almost unconsciously. I was also a Beatles fanatic, but I didn't emulate them the way I did the R&B artists.
My musical education started before I could see over the dashboard, just listening to the radio and cranking up our favorite songs as they came on.
Whenever I sing blues from the '50s or the kind of blues that you might have heard Eric Clapton or Duane Allman emulate, I often feel the similarity of some of the ragtime stuff I sang early on. A lot of the phrasing and the harmonization is the same.
I think every ounce of pain in just living always ends up being the best thing that happened to me. It's always a growth period. I learn at the speed of pain.
When Kanye gets to a point where he can actually put a couple of notes together either vocally or two bars of valid music playing an instrument, then he might have a right to criticize somebody else.
No matter what anyone else thinks, if someone appreciates what you do, whether it's 10 people or a million people, it's all good - because the only reason you make music is to have someone appreciate it.
I'm a big country fan. I remember, as a kid, when Ray Charles did the 'Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music' record. That's one of the reasons I became a country fan.
Aretha Franklin holds a significant place in the collective heart of America. She's a singular example of what we represent at our best.
I was attracted to black music for the same reason that I loved those old Irish ballads. Both were social statements of sorts, and both were indigenous to their respective cultures: Ireland, where my father had grown up, and towns like St. Louis along the Mississippi River, where I was growing up.
Looking back, I sometimes wish I had done things differently. But if I had, I'm not sure that I wouldn't have proven to be my own worst enemy.
I went to Catholic grade school, so we sang a lot of religious songs: 'O Holy Night,' 'Silent Night.'
For me, a lot of my fondest memories of being in the music business were being in the studio with The Doobs and being part of that organization and being a part of that music.
In the '70s, there was no shortage of people taking themselves too seriously, as 'artistes,' if you will. I think we all had a tendency to do that at some point in our career. So looking back on that, it's fun to laugh at it.
I've always felt like the Forrest Gump of the music business. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of great people.
The Stax/Volt stuff is really what I grew up on.
In one way or another, all my songs are about the necessity for trust.
I've felt the noose tightening for me for years at the major labels, where you're allowed to do less and less of what you would do most naturally and expected to do something that was expected to be saleable.
Throughout my career, there has always been an element of surprise. Sometimes there are moments of disappointment; sometimes there are moments of surprising success.
'Livin' on the Fault Line' was kind of a commercial disappointment for us, although it seemed to have a certain buzz with the smaller fan base we had.
I've always written short stories.
I grew up with this idea that songwriters had a great job. My family was Irish Catholic, so if you became a priest or a songwriter, you were golden.
I write about humility, because it's something I hope I one day actually possess.
I just don't think many people would have crossed the street to hear me doing a hip hop-influenced album!
I love Hank Williams songs, but I love hearing Ray Charles sing them much more.
Most times, lyrics are the last thing I listen to, being a musician.
I remember one of my favorite all-time records was by Edwin Starr: 'Stop Her on Sight.'
I use Facebook, but I find that I'm... if I put up a picture of my dog there or a sunset or something, I get a million hits. If I mention anything to do with my career, three people respond. And/or if I say anything political, I have to duck afterwards. I try to be selective.
I'm not the kind of artist who can just gear myself to a particular radio format without looking like a fashion victim.
