Nashville's like any other hometown - after a while, it's stifling.

I know I'm never going to be a big pop star, because I'm not willing to conform.

I always watched movies and rooted for the bad guys, you know? I've always been that kind of guy. I still hold some respect for criminals that are good at their jobs.

I've got a 27-inch waist. Before, I was stupid smaller. Finding clothes in the South was impossible.

There's no such thing as a teenager that listens to a single word their father says.

What I'm doing is basically the same as Bob Dylan did with folk songs and Woody Guthrie songs, the same as folk music's always done. I'm not going to sing about ploughing, but I'll write a song that sounds like it should be about ploughing.

You have to live what you write, or you have to know it. There are exceptions, like story songs, where you just have to have your facts straight. But I think you don't have to live a hard life to be a good or interesting songwriter.