[angry at criticism of fellow songwriter Luke Bryan] I've never been accused of being politically correct. You don't have to do that, though. I know there are people who don't like what I do, and that's fine. There are people out there doing stuff I don't necessarily like. If we all did the same thing it would be boring. Doesn't mean you have to rip people apart, though.

Many of those old songs were written during the Great Depression. I didn't live through the Depression and neither have many of the songwriters, so of course the subject matter has to change. It evolves. You can't write the same subject matter for fifty years. Look at what hip hop used to be compared to where it is now. Or rock music, for that matter. People making a big deal of it doesn't make any sense to me.

I love rock, I love John Mellencamp, 1980s rock and Bob Seger. But, if anyone wants to do a pop quiz on old country, I'll take 'em on. Just because it's not what I play as my version of country doesn't mean anyone has a right to judge what I do. It's a ridiculous debate.