I didn't want to be the girl who posed in 'Playboy' and then - by the way - made some music.

The most tender place in my heart is for strangers. I know it's unkind, but my own blood is much too dangerous.

There's this art form in songwriting that's incredibly difficult - to be really funny in a song and also really touching. I can't do that.

The only ones that stand out to me are people like Jonathan Richman or Robyn Hitchcock, who can make you totally cry while their music is so funny and they're hilarious. They know they're great but they also don't think they're better than you and they really invite you into their show.

I was raised to be modest to the point of fanaticism. In my family, we don't talk about ourselves to each other. Vanity is considered the worst possible sin. I've gotten better about having to describe things. If you're going to make a record and people are going to write about you, it's your responsibility to answer questions. It's validating - I'm just very clumsy.

Country music is completely punk-rock. It's the original punk-rock.

I just want to make stories. They don't have to have a moral or a reason. There might be some mild cautionary notes, but they're not moral. They don't impart any Judeo-Christian ethic of any kind.