Dr. John – HuffPost 3.12.14

Mike Ragogna: All right. Hey Mac, I’ve got one last question for you, what is your advice for new artists?

Dr. John: Hey listen, if they want to play music, listen to every music. Don’t be shut down to no music. The second thing I always tell them is learn how to get paid. If they can learn how to get paid in this racket, they’ll do wonderful.

MR: It’s very important, isn’t it.

DJ: …it took me a lot, a lot, a lot of years to figure out how to get paid. I started doing stuff on the chitlin’ circuit, and you weren’t making no money. I remember we got to New London, Connecticut, and there was a blizzard. The guy said, “All you have to do is put your newspaper under your coat,” I thought that wasn’t gonna work. No matter how many sheets of newspaper we put under our shirts, it didn’t work. That’s life, that’s how it goes. You live, and you learn, and you better learn fast in this rag.