I wanted to paint in a folk-artist-y way. My heroes were Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, and Rembrandt. I think Picasso is about as a modern as I got. But I incorporated things that they rejected as well as movements that happened later.

People were very protective of me. Overly so. I was in the industry for a long time before I had any idea of what drugs people were doing.

I could drink a case of you, darlin'...and I would still be on my feet, yes I would still be on my feet.

I like my freedom. I like to do my own grocery shopping. People do recognize you. They are kind of shocked. Some people like it. It makes them feel at ease. It confirms their hopes that you are in fact similar to them.

I get the same charge from juxtaposition of colors as I do from juxtaposition of chords.

There was this mountain village in Russia where my music was getting in on some German radio station. I remember this because music used to get up to Saskatchewan from Texas. Late at night after the local station closed down.

I paint my joy and I sing my sorrow.