Wor d s of
Wisdom
You’ve had health crises over the years, including breast cancer and
a benign brain tumour. How have those aff ected the way you see
day-to-day life?
I don’t think about it anymore. I don’t think about whether my
cancer’s coming back or if my brain tumour’s growing or anything
like that. I’m busy with my kids – my objective is to be here as long
as I can for them and to enjoy every second of it. But I would say
that my life was really changed when I got diagnosed. It gave me
the freedom to just say, “Hey, let’s get on with life. If you wanna
have kids, either adopt or go have one, get some
sperm, whatever.” I also learned h
self off the hook, and it really ma
lot better. I like to blame my lack
ries on having a brain tumour, b
tunately I can’t, ’cause it doesn’t h
side eff ects [laughs].
How has having kids changed you
Everything revolves around w
good for them. I quit touring [te
rarily] a couple of years ago. My n
year-old cried. He was like, “We’re
going on the tour bus?” But the
thing really is that my work, my
called inspiration, has been releg
to school hours. I made a record
between school drop-off and d
nertime. Not many rock stars
say that.
In “Heartbeat Away”, on your
album, a president launches nukes
you have apocalyptic fears?
My sleep has been disturbed. M
sides are ridden with unease. I
that song before Trump got the n
nation – it already felt apocaly
that people were entertaining the
of making a man like that the
powerful person in the world. I
go into deep meditation and fi n
compassion for the people of thi
hurting and believe he cares abou
ried, but my meditation teacher
fascinating. Her phrase was, “T
forward.”
You have a pretty serious medita
what does that do for you?
I meditate 20 to 25 minute
morning, then 20 minutes in bet
tucking the boys in and going to b
It’s compassion-based – the idea
to live life from an extremely co
passionate place and be mindful
Who are your heroes?
Gandhi, and then after tha
would say Keith Richards. Georg
Harrison, for a number of rea-
sons. Stevie Nicks. Bob Dylan.
You don’t often hear Gandhi and Keith in the same breath.
For a curious human being who is always looking to navigate
life with passion, you know, Gandhi’s it. For someone who’s also
curious and who is so playful about music and loves the people
that he has loved, that’s Keith. I mean, I’m pretty sure that Keith
had a nice, long cry the other day when Chuck Berry died. And
that’s what I love about my work – it’s work – but it’s a life force,
and that’s what I look at with him.
You recorded and never released a debut before Tuesday Night
Music Club.How do you see that album now?
a really soft-rock-sounding re-
oft rock. And I just felt like, if I
my introduction, I did not stand
have one introduction. You get
.
over songs in bar bands as you
p inform your songwriting?
kid, get in a cover band. It teach-
s, it literally teaches you why
are classics, and it teaches you
vigate a working band. With
ng, there’s something to that
ealing from the best. You’re only
as your references. And I pride
n my references. I have tried to
the greatest rock stars and song-
in the world. I try not to steal
tim, but if they’ve infl uenced my
rk at all, I take a sense of pride
n that.
The classic-rockers embraced
you right away. Was there any
downside to that?
There’s absolutely no
downside to that. My idea for
usic was that I didn’t want to
reat. I wanted to be important.
ed to write important music,
en you start having a music ca-
re certainly not one of the cool
u’re embraced by the older class
ike, “Wow, I can’t believe these
me.” As hokey as it might sound,
ly humbled by that.
kes you happy, can it be that bad?
ok as that might be, that is a co-
struggle in life is accepting the
g to be happy. Happiness is not
ere you wake up that way. You
onna be happy. And it took me
fi gure that out. I defi nitely con-
with my children, because they
ves by your mood and how it re-
As a parent and as a person, life
o happy, but you have to decide
t’s the life you’re gonna lead.
INTERVIEW BY B RIAN HIATTSheryl Crow
The singer-songwriter on apocalyptic fears, choosing
happiness, and what Gandhi and Keef have in common24 | Rolling Stone | RollingStoneAus.com Illustration by Mark Summers
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