It's what I do well - I write about things that make people uncomfortable. That's probably the only thing I do better than my peers.
Janis IanI write a lot from instinct. But as you're writing out of instinct, once you reach a certain level as a songwriter, the craft is always there talking to you in the back of your head...that tells you when it's time to go to the chorus, when it's time to rhyme. Real basic craft... it's second nature.
Janis IanThere will always be those people who are just backward and ignorant. There will always be those people. They need somebody to feel superior to.
Janis IanArtists are taught to be humble about their impact, especially in folk music. It's so ingrained that I have a hard time even thinking I had any impact other than what a normal hit song would have.
Janis Ian