John Mellencamp admitted he doesn't look back longingly at any part of his life and career. The legendary singer/songwriter is receiving raves for his newly-released 24th album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, which features a trio of collaborations with Bruce Springsteen.
Mellencamp spoke to GQ magazine and marked the difference of how he used to create his music and how he does today: “When I was a kid, I would try to control the songs, and y’know, they were labored, they were crafted. In the last 15, 20 years, I stopped crafting songs. I just let the songs roll out however they want to present themselves.”
Mellencamp recalled the embarrassment he endured from having a stage name early on in his career: “I really, for a long time, hated the fact that I was arm-twisted to become Johnny Cougar. (Former-manager Tony DeFries') whole explanation to me was that Mellencamp was first of all a German name, and he was Jewish. And I kinda understood that point.”