I Don't Separate Writing Songs

I Love Theater. I Go All The Time. It's One Of The Reasons I Moved To New York. But I Understand That I Have Limited Range As An Actor. I Can Only Play People Who Talk Like Me.

I Don't Spend A Lot Of Time Feeling Sorry For Myself, Trying To Compare How Many Records I've Sold Or How Much Money I've Made.

When You're Really Bummed Out, The Last Thing You Want To Hear Is Up-tempo And Positive. And It Lets You Know That You're Not Alone, That Somebody Has Hurt Before. It Works The Same Way With Chick Songs As It Does With Political Songs. When You Hear Somebody Singing About These Things, You Know That You're Not Alone, That Somebody Else Is Suspicious Of What's Going On Around Us In The World. So You Don't Feel Like You're Crazy, And You Feel Like You Might Be Able To Make A Difference.

What Songwriting Does Better Than Almost Anything Is Empathy - It's Incredibly Empathetic. The Reason People Sat Around In Bars When They Were Bummed Out And Listened To Country Songs Is Because It Made Them Feel Better In The Long Run.

The Singer-songwriter Has Always Played Music That Was Stylistically Rooted In The '30s And The Great Depression And The Dust Bowl. But The Fact Of The Matter Is That None Of Us Remember The Depression Firsthand.