I think in the world of rock music or whatever it's called - anything outside of Nashville - there's a lot more freedom within that industry to do whatever you want to do.

I'm fascinated by the whole concept of snake handling. When you read about the Pentecostal snake handlers, what strikes you the most is their commitment.

I'm trying to learn how to tap into the power of my own being. I know it sounds corny.

I started writing songs, I guess, when I was about 13 or 14, but I didn't know if they were good enough yet or anything.

I am trying to get right with God. I'm sort of making a statement about the excessiveness.

I grew up around poets and novelists and my dad wrote poems about everything - from a cat sleeping in a window to a car wreck he passed on the highway. I learned not to censor myself: that was one of things I learned in my apprenticeship, my creative-writing apprenticeship with my dad.

I don't mean to complain. I wouldn't trade my life for anything.