If somebody had said to me back in 1988 that I'd still be making music in 25 years' time, to start with I would have keeled over with shock because I wouldn't have believed them.

The only problem with conjuring people is they insist on getting paid, unlike a writer who would do a reading for nothing.

A friend of mine pointed out to me, "Why do you separate your writing and your music?" I got (writers) Rick Moody and Jonathan Ames to do the first one, and it just kind of gathered steam; then NPR picked it up. It is a nice way for me to marry both sides of my career, a move that's probably culminated in me dropping the name John Wesley Harding.

I do find that most fans are aware of my writing career and have known my real name for many years.

There's nothing I like more than a writer who can sing, or a musician who has a book out.

When I was writing this new bunch of songs, I was singing a lot lower, because they were more intimate in a way. I had to come up with a way to frame the music that was intimate.

I just love putting on a show. I get a tremendous sense of community out of it.