GUESTS: Shawn Colvin, Kelly Willis, Adrian Belew, Jimmy LaFave

HICKMAN: "No, except that the songs are longer! I love producing, so it was a joy to return to bigger, extensive productions."

PAUSE & PLAY: Had you heard Gary Jules' version of "Mad World" before you did your own?

HICKMAN: "I had seen 'Donnie Darko.' Mr. Jules' version inspired me to record a version of my own ... and I thought of XTC and their song with the child singing/talking at the end, and I decided i wanted to hear a woman/little girl singing the song. It is such a haunting song ... so I asked my daugher, Lily, to sing it with me. I wanted the keening in the middle of the break for all the women around the world mourning the loss of their children, of life. I originally had a crying baby way in the background, but it freaked too many people out, so I dropped it from the recording."

PAUSE & PLAY: A very-distant uncle on my mother's side was a vice president of the United States (Daniel D. Tompkins, under James Monroe). Our family has wild tales of his boozing and tax invasion. What's your connection to John Adams, and do you have any long-held family tales, too?

HICKMAN: "President John Adams was my great-great-great-great grandfather ... which, subsequently, means John Quincy Adams was also my great-great-great grandfather.

"John and Abigail were the first to move into the unfinished White House, and they were quite eloquent and frequent in their letters to one another. I imagined how Abigail must have felt, waiting for a new life with her husband ... in this large, incomplete national home.

"I wanted to write a song in their honor, something that was full of their sincere love. I see them as two brilliant people who were ahead of their time, and I admire them greatly for sticking through thick and thin together ... spiritually, mentally, physically and patriotically (in the best sense of the word.)

"Towards the end of John's life, he wrote to his good friend, Thomas Jefferson, these final words: Be just and good.

"For me, that about sums it up. I don't know if John was much into carousing. He sounds as if he was very dedicated to helping in the creation of a new nation ... and Abigail was busy tending the farm, the children and running their business. I think they were much more interested in intellectual stimulation, so I'm afraid I have nothing of intrigue for you as to any naughty behaviour they might have exhibited. However, I have had a drink on occasion, and I have made an ass of myself, so you could assume that I broke the chain of command, so to speak!"

PAUSE & PLAY: You're involved in so many things. How do you manage it all?

HICKMAN: "I have an incredible support system, and, like my great grandpop, I guess you could say I take life seriously and want to accomplish much. I love being alive, I love my family and friends. They love me back, and they help me stay on top of everything. I couldn't do it with out their constant input and touch. It's easy when you have enthusiasm, too!"

PAUSE & PLAY: On your blog, you describe yourself as enjoying "an Ellen DeGeneres happiness." You address her elsewhere. Is she a friend of yours?

HICKMAN: "No, I am trying to woo her to have me on her show! I've been writing her letters on my blog (I print them out and mail them in in decorated envelopes). I just figured I would share the letters with the world while I was in the midst of trying to get Ellen's attention. If you go back through the entries, you'll read a theme song I wrote for her, and many silly, madcap fun filled ideas I've shared with her, too ... Woo-hoo!"

PAUSE & PLAY: I also read on your blog about your heartbreaking performance for your neighbor, Jack, who is dying. This isn't a question; just a comment, really, about how that experience can put things into perspective.

HICKMAN: "Yes, Jack died yesterday morning (May 18). I love him very much, and watching him curl into himself was strangely beautiful ... only because he wasn't suffering. Being able to visit and hold him and tell him stories was a great honor. I wish people didn't have such a fear of death, how moving it would be if those dying in hospitals and assisted living facilities had visitors every day for every single patient. There is nothing to be afraid of except the vaccuum of denial and allowing people to die alone. That makes me incredibly sad."

PAUSE & PLAY: Out-of-left-field question: What's the funniest or most profound thing one of your children has said?

HICKMAN: " 'Why do women wear lip glop?' (instead of lip gloss), my 5-year-old, Iolana.

"When my older daughter, Lily, was about 1 1/2, we were laying on the bed one afternoon, and I was just talking to her, hanging out with her. Her eyes were so deep, and it seemed as if she was listening intently to every word I said. Out of the blue, I looked directly at her and said, 'You are so wise ...' She seemed to think for a moment, then with her little index finger, pointing from her right hand; she placed it gently in the middle of her forehead, right above her eyes. The hair on the back of my neck stood up: she was tapping where her 'third' eye would be, and then she smiled at me. I've never forgotten that."

PAUSE & PLAY: What was the first record you ever bought?

HICKMAN: "I seem to recall I saved up my money and bought an album by Chris Jagger, Mick Jagger's brother, because I loved The Rolling Stones and thought it might be interesting. Uh, I seem to recall it was not."

"But the first record I ever received was 'Golden Biscuits' by Three Dog Night from a girl in second grade named Courtney. Man, I loved that record, and she immediately became the coolest girl in the class, in my opinion."

PAUSE & PLAY: What was the first concert you ever went to?

HICKMAN: "Ha ha ha. You are so gonna laugh. I went to see David Cassidy with my mom ... dead center, front row seats! He wore a white, leather, fringed jacket with matching pants. I was the only girl who wasn't screaming.

"First real concert was Queen ... first time I ever saw laser lights, too."

PAUSE & PLAY: What's the worst job you ever had?

HICKMAN: "My first job ... at Long John Silver's. My second day there, we had a dinner rush, and I was in back learning how to make cole slaw. Donna Odom was showing me how not to put a carrot in the slicer, when she sliced the end of her finger off and blood went EVERYWHERE.

"I ran out to get our very mean boss lady, who yelled at me to get back in the kitchen, so I had to put my foot down and say, "No ... we need you NOW!' and she looked at me and realized I was serious. She came back, saw that Donna was white as snow, wrapped a towel around her bleeding finger, and told me, as she was running Donna out the door for the emergency room, 'Sara, find that finger and serve that slaw!

"I went home and told my mom I was quitting. She said, 'You've only been there two days!' I said, 'I'm only 14, but I know I am not meant to wear polyester.' "