A tremendous amount of energy is freed up when you feel that your vision is actually respected and cared for by the people you're working with.

The thought of making work that's easily consumed and quickly forgotten - what's the point? I want my work to be cohesive, to age and improve like old leather.

In France, I discovered that I love writing in the city. There's such an intensity to being in the city that matches the intensity of what you're experiencing in your head.

I think that there are a lot of things that come along with being a musician, but I don't want to whine about them. I don't want to complain about my job.

France was very opposite of the show-business experience I'd been living; I was anonymous and alone. I wore no makeup, wore the same clothes every day. And I wrote and wrote and wrote.

You can always boil down the life of a musician to touring, playing, and writing.

When I was nominated for a Grammy, my label dropped me - I have a wariness about trying for a hit.

My work is has always been very, very personal.

My point of view as a writer has to be a lot more ego-less than just like being some performer on stage with a hairdo.

I'm always kind of surprised how much I'm associated with country music.