For me, something will come in my head and I'll either end up calling my cell phone to record it, or I'll just pick my guitar up and see what comes out. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it doesn't. So there's really no set method behind it.

I was always in bands before, but on 'American Idol,' it was about getting my voice out there. It was always my goal, though, to get a band together again.

I don't want to be that parent that puts my kids into what I think they should be in, you know what I mean?

For me, I want my kids to find their way. If they're interested in something, I want them to try it out.

I know we can fix our problems. When there are people in the room who care more about doing the job they were elected to do than they worry about winning reelection, it is possible to work together, achieve principal compromise, and get results for the people who give us these jobs in the first place.

It's cool to have critical success because it's always nice for your peers to say, 'Good job.' But who cares about them?

Success to me is only two things: happiness and stability.

I've never seen hard work fail.