My parents divorced, and I didn't have much of a daddy growing up.

Consumerism diverts us from thinking about women's rights, it stops us from thinking about Iraq, it stops us from thinking about what's going on in Africa - it stops us from thinking in general.

I'm very involved with PETA - People for Ethical Treatment of Animals - and Greenpeace and a lot of women's shelter and clothing giveaways.

I wanted to do it my way with my career, and I had this arrogant notion that people weren't just interested in my music but me as a person. That was my bit of arrogance, I guess. That's something I learned from Madonna. I was a fan right from the first time I heard 'Holiday.'

I moved to New York in 1980, and I met Beth Henley, who's a marvellous playwright and who I have a real personal and professional association with, in 1982. I met her in a stalled elevator - we were the only two people in there - and she's been one of my very dearest friends since.

When you ask someone for their vote, you are asking them to place their confidence in you as the steward of the community, so it was humbling that people placed their faith and trust in me.

What I do and what I love, I don't betray that. Sometimes people say you have to tolerate it. No, you have to do what you think necessary, what your heart tells you, and go where the Almighty leads you.

We saw a need to develop a community for artists to get their music out to the masses. With MySpace, when they went out on tour, they could actually tour nationally. The band might have 20,000 friends on their list and send out a bulletin saying, 'I'm going to be in Austin on Tuesday night. Come see our show.'