My songs have always had hope and perseverance in them - I never write songs that have no escape hatch, no positivity.

I always saw songwriting as the top of the heap. No matter what else you were going to do creatively-and there were a lot of choices-writing songs was king.

I do look at songwriting as a lot of work. I don't overintellectualize music as a special medium that only some people deserve to do. I think it's something you do if you put the work in.

To us, there was Bob Dylan, and there was dad. As for what he meant to other people, that was never glorified in our house. There were no accolades there, no gold records.

I always saw songwriting as the top of the heap. No matter what else you were going to do creatively... writing songs was king.

Its a little gross to put yourself in every song. I mean, how interesting do people really think you are?

My father said it himself in an interview many years ago: 'Husband and wife failed, but mother and father didn't.' I've got a life that really matters to me, and that's because of the way I was raised. My ethics are high because my parents did a great job.