My brother called me yesterday to say he had to pick up our boat and go fish my cousin out of his house. I was just shedding more tears than I've shed in a long time.

[New Orleans memories: Each day this week we've heard about celebrities who are mourning the state of New Orleans and organizing events to aid hurricane victims. Rolling Stone caught up with several musicians affected by the devastation, including Shannon McNally , Galactic 's Robert Mercurio and singer Marc Broussard .] My brother called me yesterday to say he had to pick up our boat and go fish my cousin out of his house, ... I was just shedding more tears than I've shed in a long time.

It was a much different experience this time around, ... He knew it was out of his hands, first of all, and he didn't try to strong-arm his way with influence. It was a beautiful time.

During the recording of my first record, he felt his influence would be greater than it was, ... When it didn't turn out that way, it was sad for him and awkward for me. We've gotten way past that. We're real good friends, he and I. He's very proud of the sound and the path I've taken musically. He knows all the songs and can sit in on any gig I do.

Our generation, unfortunately, is stuck to our phones - and, like, Twitter - constantly, which I have no problem with. I'd say we're not describing the children of America or anything like that, but there is something to take from it: It is kind of sad how we can't go thirty minutes without checking our phone.

Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area. And bureaucracy needs to stand trial before Congress today. So I'm asking Congress, please investigate this now. Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot.