When I drank, I had a very different attitude towards my playing. It was sloppier but I kind of liked it that way. It was like the alcohol was telling my mind what to do.

I'm just as sick as the others, although I prefer to do my sickness in private.

When I get mean, I get mean.

I finish so many books it's amazing. I'm also doing Rosetta Stone, learning some French.

Yes, people need food and education. But one of the cornerstones of any society is a well-functioning legal system.

There are ways we can go do a better job of educating young moms and dads about the vital role they have as the child's first teacher. I think there are ways in which we can partner with local school districts and states to do a better job to provide nutrition options at school.

At this point in my life - age 24 - I have chosen a fairly strange path that not many are walking. I am a professional spoken word poet who tours the world performing and teaching. I run an organization called Project VOICE dedicated to using this art form as an education and empowerment tool in schools and communities of all kinds.