You're not really going to know what a place is like 'til you've lived there a few years - you sort of just have to go with your gut.

My work is more important than I am. I'm just some guy.

As important as politics are to me, the life and the spirit of people's emotions are much more important. People live real lives where they love and grieve and feel pain and joy and that is a whole separate sphere. All that political stuff, I believe in it strongly, but not as strongly as I believe that at some point you or someone is going to need a song to sit with and comfort them in a hard time.

I think I read too much Arthur Conan Doyle when I was young, and got this idea that a gentleman should know a lot about one thing and plenty about most everything else.

I don't understand being idle; I don't have an idle setting. I probably should develop one.

I still get really excited looking at stuff that I've seen every day for 20 years.

It makes me envious of anybody who can say truly that they don't care what anybody thinks of what they do, because I care a lot about the people who like my stuff.