Kid Rock, the self-proclaimed Rock 'n' Roll Jesus, is more like a rock 'n' roll cat, though that doesn't have the same ring.

He's survived humiliating photos of his early years as a break-dancing beanpole with a gruesome flattop. He endured the fleeting period when hip-hop and hard rock intersected in a way that everybody wanted to hear. Each time a Kid Rock album seems destined for the cut-out bin, a sleeper single emerges. He'd be a comeback kid were he not so committed to singing his own praises. He also seems to be a guy with a plan, as he discusses below. But before his next life as a bald country star, Kid Rock is still churning out big, loud redneck rock, as he'll do Saturday in The Woodlands on a bill with Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Q: Are you still riding on Rock 'n' Roll Jesus, or is there something new in the works?

A: Both. I'm still riding that wave. We've got a lot more to go on this record. But I'd still like to put the next one out sooner rather than later. I've got a good start on it.

Q: Do you find the business moves too slowly? That you'd like to release albums faster?

A: I was just talking with a friend, and I said Zeppelin used to put out a record every year and go on a world tour. Granted, they only had six or eight songs on a record, and it wasn't a six-month setup and as much (expletive) that you've got to go through nowadays.

Q: There was better quality control with those shorter albums.

A: You weed it out. I went up and met with Best Buy and Target and all those people. I wanted to play them my record and explain it to them. Of course it helps for them to order it. It's politics. But they said, "We really need exclusive tracks." I said, "Let me tell you what an exclusive track is: It's the worst song I have. Honest to god, what you're going to be getting is the worst song I have that's not going to be on the record." It really doesn't help me out in an way way in terms of credibility (laughs) for people to go, "Wow, I got this really bad bonus song on this great new Kid Rock album."

Q: So after Rock 'n' Roll Jesus, what's left in the way of album titles?

A: Yeah, I like titles. And I love monikers. (Laughs.) You know, Devil Without a Cause, Early Morning Stoned Pimp, Detroit Cowboy, Rock 'n' Roll Jesus, American Bad (Expletive). I have more fun coming up with that (expletive). ... I'm sure we'll come up with something. I haven't been at a loss for words yet.

Q: Can you talk about how Amen came to be?

A: Rick Rubin influenced me to write that. He said, "You've got yourself aligned so well to make a great rock 'n' roll record. But you've said that you're Kid (expletive) Rock 8,000 times, we understand that." He said to really "dig deep and write something relevant, what you see going on. You're one of the few people who still live where you're from. You haven't migrated to New York, L.A., Miami, wherever, London. It seems like you should have your finger on the pulse." And I felt like I did. I'm always talking about what I heard going on around me with working-class people, things other people might be scared to say.

Q: On the flip side is All Summer Long, which is loose and celebratory.

A: This big producer, when I was in London, we were trying to diagnose the song, why it's so good. . . . He said times are so bad in a lot of places, especially around America, and it's starting to get bad in London, when that happens people turn to uplifting things. Things like comedies and good uplifting songs.

Q: There are occasional flickers of nostalgia on your records. Are you a softie deep down?

A: I think most people are. I got every mood, every swing. I'm up, down, hot, cold. I think generally I'm a pretty good person if I had to grade myself. Or toot my own horn. Eet eet! I'm ... very loyal, good with my friends, a family-oriented, God-fearing person. I got my streak, though. (Laughs.)

Q: Do you remember the first album you bought?

A: I think it was the Romantics, National Breakout.

Q: You could do much worse than that. Did you hear their last record? They still sound really good.

A: Yeah. ... I still see them around town. Not as much as I used to. I'll catch up now and then, hear them on the radio. They still sound great. The whole blues-based thing in the background that's so instrumental in making great rock 'n' roll songs.

Q: And they still have their hair.

A: Yeah, they do.

Q: Do you worry about losing yours?

A: It's going, no question about it. But hey, man, that's why I love country music. I'm going to throw my hat on and grab my six string and grow old gracefully. I got this figured out, contrary to popular belief. It's not a fluke. I have thought about this a time or two. (Laughs.)

Q: The country thing is interesting because Picture wasn't an instant hit. Were you concerned when Cocky's sales got off to a soft start?

A: We worried about Devil Without a Cause, we didn't know what the hell it was going to do. It took about eight months to catch and then a year later, it took fire and sold 12 million copies. ... We put out Cocky, and I knewPicture was a smash. But the record company told me, "What's the matter with you? We know you've dabbled in this country thing, but leave it alone. It's going to wreck your career. Stay out of Nashville." We finally put that out ourselves. And we sold another 4 million copies. It's been the same story every record. ... The critics are very careful now. This kid will come back and sucker punch. (Laughs.)