I don't have the capacity to write stuff consciously. When I do, it's really awful.

I don't think you should make music to make music, just to show that you can. That's the opposite of vitality.

A lot of Appalachian music has a certain haunted, foggy feel to it; a certain sinister quality. And that transcends who is singing it. I think it's good if an artist can represent some kind of culture that they either aspire to ignite, or that they themselves experience.

I've got this thing where I always kind of diss the older stuff and favor the newer stuff. I mean, it's not just my thing; every artist or musician is like that, I guess.

I'm more into Neil Young and radical honesty.

We didn't have MTV, and I was desperate for something. You know, you're young, you want something off the beaten path. And Twin Peaks was like, surrealism on network TV.

I've been going through some personal things that have stirred up a lot of old wounds.