As the title for his latest album suggests, John Mellencamp is hardly mellowing with age. The veteran rocker considers Life, Death, Love and Freedom an “adult” album. “I’m trying to live up to, you know, what a guy my age should be doing,” he says. “I’m trying not to look silly. You know, it’s like people say, ‘Hey, you’re a rock star, man.’ And I don’t see myself that way anymore. I’m just, like, a journeyman electrician or something.” Click below for more on Mellencamp, including his take on his ubiquitous Chevy-touting song “Our Country” and also for a guide to his best albums.

• Mellencamp’s New Blues

• John Mellencamp: The Essential Album-by-Album Guide

[Photo: Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp]