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

I have such a great band. We had played all this material on the road. I just wanted to let it fly.

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

I'm dealing with things as they come along, and I'm talking about it

It's really about living in your head... just looking out at the world, then going back into your head and tossing around a lot of ideas and coming out with something interesting to say.

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.