My first real real guitar I had was a Charvel, model 1 and that was when I was 15, I think, I got that.

I have a hard time with any sort of criticism; not because I have some huge ego or anything like that.

I feel weird talking about it, because how can I, as the guitar player of Slipknot, sit here and say, 'Oh, I have trouble.' You know what I mean?

I'm constantly writing, maybe a little more than other guys in the band. I find it a very therapeutic thing to do on the road, where you're estranged from your hobbies.

I don't like to try to put, like, 'Let's do this type of record,' 'cause it never turns out that way anyways.

There's always something to rage about, right?

There is a solo on 'Spiders,' albeit a kind of a non-traditional solo, but that's what I love.

You can't evaluate your situation when you're in a band, not really.

I can't be on tour constantly if I really want to be creative.

I like to improvise so much live because I get bored playing the same thing over again. It's like the kid at school that already knows all the answers so doodles all over the paper. I do that a lot live.

I don't seek out knowledge when it comes to guitar playing; I like to let it happen naturally.

Every experience you have in life can be applied to different things.

As you're touring there are so many layers to a live show, it has always been important for me to have a guitar that I can use live and in the studio.

I don't like to really dive too deep into politics.

The future of Slipknot is always in doubt. I always prepare for each album as if it's gonna be the last.

A&E eggnog, there's nothing like it anywhere on Earth. It's the best liquid ever made.

We do things the way we do them and we do them unashamedly. It's our art. If you don't like it, that's fine. You don't have to.

In my opinion, I would still like to go into a studio - because I love the environment of being in a studio - and record a great album beginning to end, but then maybe not release it as an album. Maybe put singles out there, put songs out there - either give some away or release some the traditional way.

The thing that scares me about the way the music industry has changed so much is that I'm afraid that the record, the album, will disappear, and it'll go back to the way it was in the '50s where everything is single-based.

I use Pro Tools version 9 LE at home and I take that on the road with me.

For one reason or another, a lot of guys wind up with a guitar that isn't really right for them.

I'm my own worst critic.

Sept. 11, 2001, still feels like a blur to me. I wish it were simply a bad, re-occurring dream, but unfortunately it isn't.

I've done everything. I've been ring crew, I've been driver for a blind promoter, I've been a valet, I've been a referee, I've been a ring announcer, I've been a corporate officer, play-by-play man, blah, blah, blah. No one has been on my journey.

The Rock had the amazing athletic abilities that few people are gifted with, but he also had the burning desire to be the best, and none of that can be denied.

My first broadcast partner provided color commentary even though he was totally blind. Leroy McGuirk was a former NCAA Wrestling Champion at Oklahoma State University and long time kingpin of the NWA Junior Heavyweight Division before losing his sight in a car accident in Little Rock in the early 1950s.

For my money, Dan Hodge is the greatest amateur wrestler ever produced in the U.S.A.

I can make a valid argument that Bobby Heenan is pro wrestling's great performer.

I've heard Jerry do mini concerts while driving, especially when the music of The Beatles or a handful of other 'British Invasion' bands aired. Hearing Jerry Lawler sing with a British accent is quite an experience.

Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were not giants, they were giants in the ring, they drew money, people loved them and that's what you find in the Young Bucks.

My mother and father both died at 64.

It doesn't matter if you have a six-minute match on 'Superstars,' go out and steal the show. Go have a great, solid match. Somebody's going to say, 'Who cares about 'Superstars?' Nobody watches it. And it's only six minutes.' That's the wrong attitude. That's a loser's attitude, and that's what I've told dozens of talents.

Walking away from a problem is never a solution. Never. Solve the problem.

I can always get better at what I'm doing because I'm not nearly as good as I think I can be. I'm going to try to improve every chance I get.

The Heisman Trophy equivalent in collegiate wrestling is named the Dan Hodge Award, which illustrates just how Dan is perceived within that culture.

Jericho is generally considered a main event guy, as he should be. He's a future Hall of Famer, I believe. So any rub, for lack of a better term, that AJ Styles can get from Chris Jericho is positive.

I've always believed that if you are in the WWE system, that in two years or less, the staff should be able to tell who's a keeper and who's not.

I've just been so blessed in my journey. Fat kid from Oklahoma, buddy - Southern accent and Bell's palsy, becoming a broadcaster and hanging around a fickle business for 40 years. You wonder how in the hell that happened. It was somebody's plan.

On a very personal note, my dear friend, the late Steve 'Dr. Death' Williams was a four-time amateur wrestling All-American who also lettered and started four years on the football team at Oklahoma. I've met no man walking the face of the earth tougher than Doc. R.I.P., my friend.

When I first arrived in WWE after having a somewhat high profile on-air role in WCW, it was WrestleMania season. In a way, I was perceived to be the voice of WCW after the Ted Turner/TBS buyout of Jim Crockett Promotions. That 'claim to fame' did not endear me to many WWE personnel.

Long before social media and even television, enterprising wrestling promoters wisely scouted and signed new stars that would not only help them sell tickets, but also garner publicity from mainstream sports media.

We've only got so much energy in our bodies, and if you want to use some of it for hate, if you choose to exert it negatively, I feel for you. I choose to not hate any team. I use whatever is in my tank for good.

In the early days, Jerry was an antagonist, which was arguably his best casting. 'The King's' quick wit is perfectly suited to be an antagonist, but at the same time, he's so funny that it is hard to hate Jerry Lawler as the villain - especially at this stage of his long career.

The best incarnation of The Four Horsemen was undoubtedly the unit comprised of Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, along with talented manager JJ Dillon, which will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.

The thing that people should remember, is that back in the day, because wrestling does not have a season, every week is a week of first run TV. In the territories that I worked in, specifically, we never had a rerun. So those shows that aired, aired one time to their constituency.

I am an emotional guy. I try to be very honest.

Broadcasting is a team effort and two, or three, individuals not functioning as a team cannot be as effective as they can if they set aside their own agendas and focus on what they see on their TV monitors and embellish the TV personas of the talents involved. I've been blessed to have had many outstanding partners.

I had a very humble upbringing, earned everything I got, and learned how challenging it is in the pro wrestling business.

John Cena's work ethic is beyond reproach. It's been phenomenal to see what he does and he's made himself a brand.

There are many ways to do something right within the world of pro wrestling.