When you play the bars, you pay your dues. It does matter that you know those things [songs]. And the great thing for me, too, is that I draw on that stuff as influences. It's also stuff that you put in the tank that you pull from to make records.

I think right now, you've seen these artists pop up over the last decade who've flirted with branching together a lot of different kinds of music. Some of them have been huge, and sold millions of records. And I think over time it's become a little bit of what the industry can be.

I don't care if I starve.

Stay young and wild as long as you can

The evolution of the music is what allows it to survive.

I've always made music that was representative of real life.

The key to songwriting is just to be able to observe, and put yourself in situations to be around people, and let those ideas come to you.