They've been looking for an opportunity to come back, but we haven't had the Convention Center available for the dates they've needed. For 2009 it all seemed to come together.

Each dollar a visitor spends doubles in value as it spreads through the community. The attractions and hotels in the city spent more than $62 million in expansion, renovation and improvements in 2004 alone and that translates to a large number of jobs in the construction industry and related trades.

Far beyond the economic impact is being able to show off our city to political leaders. It's a coup for us.

I want to do some fiction writing, I've had some pretty good luck with short stories, I'd like to do a couple of larger things.

Artists are taught to be humble about their impact, especially in folk music. It's so ingrained that I have a hard time even thinking I had any impact other than what a normal hit song would have.

Of course, I have a different vested interest in the gay community, because I am gay, and I would certainly enjoy the tax advantages that straight people have, and the inheritance advantages, and things like Social Security, but I've always been a civil rights advocate across the board. That's how I was raised.