John Mayer: “I’m A Recovered Ego Addict” — But I’m NOT A “Womanizer” (VIDEO)

John Mayer Ego Interview

(NBC)

John Mayer cops to having an “ego addiction” in a new interview about his controversial history of kissing and telling, but insists he’s not a “womanizer.” Check out the video below.

Mayer sat down for a chat with Ronan Farrow that will air in full on MSNBC on Saturday. In a preview featured on Friday’s “Today Show,” Mayer addresses his previous tell-all interviews, which infamously included comments about exes Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson. He tells Farrow, “I went, ‘All right, dude, you did a couple interviews where you were out of touch and you were being a ham, and you were basically break-dancing into a nitroglycerin plant.'”

Mayer, who has been in an on-and-off relationship with Katy Perry for several years now, rejects the “womanizer” reputation often associated with him, but acknowledges that he did at times play into that persona… to more damaging results. “You go, ‘Well I’m just going to be strange as they think I am.’ And then you lose,” says Mayer, explaining, “Number one, you’re not playing music anymore. Number two, you’re not feeling anything honestly. Number three, you’re not saying anything honestly.”

He now confesses his behavior, including eyebrow-raising tweets that led him to quit Twitter for a time and retreat from the spotlight, were all rooted in his massive ego. “I’m a recovered ego addict, says Mayer, “and the only way that I can be sure that I don’t relapse is to admit that I constantly have this ego addiction every day.” He cites last month’s Grammys as an example, saying he left after his performance to avoid getting “high” on the reaction to it.

So, what would the older and wiser Mayer tell his younger self? The star admits, “I’d say, ‘That guy’s really, really talented, but I don’t want to be anywhere near him when that thing goes off!” Watch the video below, and tell us what you think.

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Shari Weiss