Despite years of fame and accolades, John Mellencamp still revels in the simple pleasures. Tomorrow (January 21st), Mellencamp releases his 25th album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, which features three new collaborations with Bruce Springsteen.
Mellencamp, who turned 70 back in October, spoke candidly about his life and work to People, explaining he's remained pretty much unchanged over the decades: “All I've ever needed was a guitar, motorcycle, some girl to put her arms around my neck and a stereo. That was it. That sounds like real success to me.”
Mellencamp, who gave up booze and drugs while still in college when he was only 21, spoke about the victims of a hard lifestyle, saying, “There comes a time when you got to go, 'Okay, I'm done with this s***.' It's funny and attractive to be 25-years-old and be someplace high and drunk. But when you get to a certain age, it's not funny anymore. It's not cute, not sexy. Nothing good about it.”