I believe Bo Diddley is responsible for several of the greatest recordings in rock and roll history, including “Dearest Darling,” “Say Man,” “Who Do You Love?” and “Road Runner,” to name a few.

So I was very happy and honored to be able to spend almost 20 minutes talking to Bo in his trailer dressing room at the South End of Tom Lee Park prior to his 7:20 p.m. performance at the Beale Street Music Festival.

Seated in a low chair and wearing his trademark black hat and big-rimmed glasses, Bo held court, surrounded by band members and managers. He answered questions posed by myself and the other reporter present, a representative of Y’all magazine. (In general, he was more eager to give advice than to ponder record-nerd inquiries about specific recordings.)

Herewith, some words from Bo Diddley, as he approaches his 78th birthday:

Bo’s advice for young people: “Stay in school... stay away from drugs. That’s it. Bo knows.”

Bo on being President of the United States: “I wouldn’t want that job and get my butt kicked every 15 minutes.” (He said he is not among those who “dog” George W. Bush.)

Bo on whether he has plans to retire: “Yeah, when Arthur gets me. Now, do you know who Arthur is? Arthur-itis. Arthur is mean.”

Bo on being a living legend: “Weird, it’s weird. I ain’t no sex symbol.”

Bo’s favorite part of playing live: “Making people laugh and jump around and go crazy.”

Bo’s other favorite part of playing live: “Dollar bills is a thrill.”

Bo on rap music: “Our girls deserve a little bit more than that.”

Bo on 21st Century music-making: “Technology has messed up a generation of potential good musicians. We’re getting dependent on buttons. I was wondering when someone was gonna build a keyboard with my beat on it. I found one, and I wasn’t happy about it.”

Bo on why he writes so many songs about Bo (“Bo Diddley,” “Hey! Bo Diddley,” “The Story of Bo Diddley,” “Bo’s Vacation,” “Bo’s Guitar,” “Bo Meets the Monster,” “Bo Diddley Is Loose,” “Bo’s a Lumberjack,” “Bo Diddley Is a Gunslinger,” etc.): “That’s just my style. I like saying ‘Bo Diddley.’ In fact, I love me.”