Kravitz: Not really. That was not my idea. I never would havethought of putting out a greatest-hits album. The record company did, and Ithought it was strange. I didn't realize I had that many [hits] to make analbum. It had been 11 years at that point. I do things and I move on. Idon't think about the past. It was my biggest-selling album, which Ithought was really strange. I don't feel like I shut some door. It's allone continuous flow, like any journey. But it made me feel like I had donesomething. Even during the years that I was making it, I was still thatsame kid trying to get a record deal. I never felt comfortable. I alwaysfelt like I had to keep fighting. Now I feel like, "OK, well, I've donesomething and I'm proud of it. It stood the test of time. I can be a littlebit more at ease with my position and start to direct my life in some otherdirections." I've had blinders on for the last 12 years. The last 30 years,to tell you the truth, 'cause I've known since I was five that I wanted to bea musician.

MTV: What inspired "Dig In"?

Kravitz: I was sitting on the beach looking up at the clouds andwatching a plane go by. I was thinking about how when you're flying and yougo through a cloud you get rocked. Then you come out the other end of thecloud and it's smooth again. I was thinking about how, because of fear,[people] try to avoid certain things. [They] don't wanna grow, don't wannamove. But they do want to move on, go for a certain goal. Nine times out of10, the thing holding you back is fear. People get comfortable and changetends to freak them out. When you end up doing it, you see, "Oh, thatwasn't really all that."

MTV: You were supposed to shoot the video for "Dig In" at the top ofthe Empire State Building two days after the World Trade Center attacks.

Kravitz: Yeah. I got run out of town. We had to postpone the video.We made it out in the middle of the ocean, off of the [Florida] Keys. Since we had planned to do it at the top of the Empire State Building, it took a lot of preparation, a lot of red tape. There were helicopters involved. Then Iwoke up the morning of September 11 and everything changed. We couldn't dothe video in New York City anymore. We just changed the concept a littlebit.

MTV: "Dig In" has the same optimistic feel as the entire album. Wasthat where you were at that time in your life?

Kravitz: No. I am the person that I am. That's what comes across onthe records. I'm optimistic. I'm a person who doesn't lose faith in God, inpeople, even when things seem really bad. I don't try to make optimisticrecords. From day one, I've always made records about God, love, people,unity and peace. I grew up around incredible people that are very positive.

MTV: "Pay to Play" and "Believe in Me" seem to be thematicallylinked.

Kravitz: Those two are kind of one. "Believe in Me" is about howthis person is realizing the person that he or she is with isn't reallydown for them. It seemed like everything was cool at first, but the otherperson had other motives. When this person realized they're not gettingwhat they thought they were going to get, their allegiance begins to fadeand they begin to drift. "Pay to Play" is about the other person saying, "Ithought you were going to be this, I thought you were going to be that, andit ain't happenin'. If you want me to stay around, you have to pay theprice."

MTV: It sounds very personal. Did something in the recording processopen some old wounds and memories?

Kravitz: Yeah. I've been through some interesting things throughoutthe years with people. It's hard.

MTV: Does it make it hard to record when you go through somethinglike that?

Kravitz: Nah. It just comes out. I don't even have to think aboutit. A lot of times, I don't really know what I'm talking about until it'sdone. I'm jumping from one instrument to the next, moving very fast. Idon't see the whole thing until it's finished.

MTV: You play all the instruments on your albums, but it must beweird when you're playing live and you've got a band behind you.

Kravitz: It's two different things. Completely. The studio is whereI feel the most comfortable. It's really where I do my thing. [Playing]live is another thing, 'cause you have to teach it to other people and getthem to understand the feel you want. At the same time, you have to letthem have some sort of expression in it. [You have to] let them put a bitof themselves in it or it's gonna be completely boring for them. I workwith a really great group of musicians, and we've been working together foryears. I think they have a good understanding of where I'm coming from andare still able to put their own personality into it.