Politics has always been in my music. Anybody who doesn't understand how political "Copperhead Road" is isn't listening very well.

Having a child at 55... that's optimism.

I wasn't raised to not write about issues, and I'm just living in really politically charged times. You know, I'd rather write songs about girls, but it's just hard to do right now.

I feel like I owe my audience something. They feed my kids. And I really like my job, a lot.

The stupidest thing that a writer can do is write a memoir I think, unless it's right before you die -- maybe.

Politics has always been in my music. Anybody who doesn't understand how political "Copperhead Road" is isn't listening very well.

I don't separate writing songs from poetry and short fiction. In the area where I work in my house, there's a word processor and a guitar.