You can't second-guess your audience. You can only do what you think is right. If you do that, your audience will appreciate you.

I've been lucky to be able to make the records I've wanted to make. The record company has never pressured me to cut certain songs.

It's really a lot easier to write about things that are problematic. Who wants to hear how happy you are?

You don't have to have anything in common with people you've known since you were five. With old friends, you've got your whole life in common.

I played guitar when I was young and never really considered it as a way to make a living

When I first was trying to play the clubs around Houston to start playing my own songs, songwriters like Eric Taylor and Vince Bell and Townes Van Zandt and Don Sanders were just really encouraging to me and would let me sit in with them during their sets and introduce me to the person that owned and booked the club.

If you forget the words to your own song, you can always claim artistic license. Forget the words to the national anthem and you're screwed.