I'm an artist first and foremost. So things are gonna go up and down and sideways and whichever way all through life.

I love Emmylou Harris's version of my song, 'Sweet Old World.' Her intonation is great.

I grew up in a very literate, very independent household where people spoke their ideas and were very supportive of helping each other find their own way

Believe it or not, people went so far as to suggest that I might not be able to write songs anymore because now I am married. I tried to explain again that there are other things to write about besides boy meets girl, girl meets boy, boy breaks up with girl, girl is sad.

I can speak for most songwriters - those breakup love songs are so easy to write, as far as the inspiration and all that.

When I started out playing guitar and singing, I was about twelve, going on thirteen. The role models for me back then were the folk singers. They all had these high, really nice voices and ranges, like Judy Collins and Joan Baez, and then later, of course, Joni Mitchell and Linda Ronstadt. I decided early on that I was going to learn how to write songs really, really well, because I didn't want to have to compete as a singer. I didn't feel that it was my strong point.

I would worry if I wasn't coming up with ideas, if I wasn't inspired.