The writers that I aspire to, like Joni Mitchell and Randy Newman, they'll tell you that the work gets harder, not easier. And they set that bar for us where we're always striving to do something better than the last time, whether it's the next song or just the next line.

People say, 'How's the record doing?' In the old days you'd say, 'We're at 600,000, it's doing great.' You don't say those things anymore. Those numbers are gone.

If you can't play it on an acoustic guitar or a grand piano then it's not a song.

You just want to hone your craft, whatever it may be.

All the words of wisdom sound the same.

Don't surrender to the dying light; don't take it lying down.

I think MTV put a huge dent in the songwriting craft.