I busked from the age of 13 until I was 18.

We saw too much beauty to be cynical, felt too much joy to be dismissive, climbed too many mountains to be quitters, kissed too many girls to be deceivers, saw too many sunrises not to be believers, broke too many strings to be pro's and gave too much love to be concerned where it goes.

My dad was quiet, angry, shut down. So my thing is: I express everything that's there. I want to get it all out.

A song is like a saddle: you ride it for a while, and if it's the right kind of song you can sing it for the rest of your life.

The muse holds no appointments. You can never call on it. I don't understand people who get up at 9 o'clock in the morning, put on the coffee and sit down to write.

I think inside every rock journalist, there's somebody who wishes they had the courage to live the life that they're not, and that they're writing about. But at the same time, inside every songwriter, I guess there's a wish for happiness.

I've realized, you know, having turned 40, that rest is just as important as work. In fact, it's equally as important.