What is there to be afraid of? The worst thing that can happen is you fail. So what? I failed at a lot of things. My first record was horrible.

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• John Mellencamp:

  A lot of record company people, even though they're our age, want to be perceived as young hip guys

• John Mellencamp:

  A lot of Woody Guthrie's songs were taken from other songs. He would rework the melody and lyrics,

• John Mellencamp:

  Bob Dylan's first couple of records in the 60's weren't considered cover records, but he only wrote

• John Mellencamp:

  Do I think it's OK to fight authority as long as you're only talking about the high school teacher?

• John Mellencamp:

  I'm using my art to comment on what I see. You don't have to agree with it.

• John Mellencamp:

  I couldn't have recorded this record 15 years ago. My voice didn't have the depth to pull these son

• John Mellencamp:

  I don't have to worry about any pop sensibility. I can write adult songs, and I don't have to worry

• John Mellencamp:

  I don't want to be a politician. I don't like politics. It's petty; it fights dirty.

• John Mellencamp:

  I think it's ridiculous to try to sell records to teenagers, because teenagers don't buy my records

• John Mellencamp:

  I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is