This Is Our Country (And John Mellencamp's Wallet)

What John Mellencamp says (in tomorrow's Daily News, about what his new song "The Americans" is about):

"How we see ourselves, not how we are. I think that's an image that should be strived toward. If I had written about how we really are, it would have been negative. If [I was writing about] the Midwest, it would be, 'I'm narrow-minded and don't give a f---- about other cultures.'"

What John Mellencamp means:

"Middle America enjoys its ignorance - and I enjoy my paychecks."