Songwriting, I have to take myself away from everybody to do. It's an unsightly act.

No fish can swim until the King is born, until the King is born in Tupelo.

Most screen violence is tedious.

I feel very much a part of what I'm writing about, and I'm writing about things that concern me on a daily basis. I'm not really interested in writing musical diaries, if you know what I mean.

I don't feel I'm thrown around by the winds of taste and fashion.

Songs need to have the ability to change and to grow for sure. They take on lives of their own. Some songs just don't have that capacity. They're locked within a period of time. And as soon as you take them out of that period of time, they die very quickly.

I'm very happy to hear that my work inspires writers and painters. It's the most beautiful compliment, the greatest reward. Art should always be an exchange.