I do like the word timeless. That's a great word.

With death comes a choice. And death is a choice.

I don't think I'm a particularly somber human being.

I'm not trying to write for the masses. I don't care.

I hate my voice. I've never been comfortable singing.

Lyrics are my racket; music is play - the fluff stuff.

I don't live anywhere, so that's what's fun about tours.

Loneliness is the most compelling force in the universe.

Opinions only carry weight in the second or third person.

I think I try to do a lot of things to weed out casual fans.

I want to make something that's useful to someone, somewhere.

I was just a folk singer. I cut my teeth on the streets, you know.

It's hard to make out the difference between insults and bad advice.

A lot of religious texts make for good reading. That's why they hold up.

Usually there's no specific reason for loneliness - it's a broad feeling.

Folk art has never been much about politics; it's about action and utility.

This is rock'n'roll, not classical music. It's about people working together.

Music is the marriage of the feelings of the living to the wisdom of the dead.

As it turns out, it's really expensive to make movies, much more than records.

Musicians wake up and create a more loving community by creating heavier music.

I've always been interested in an idea of boundless love - an impersonal, big love.

I've always thought about myself as somewhat of a folk musician. I just write words.

I wouldn't go into the studio if I didn't have a band who's ready, willing, and able.

I think I like singing when I'm singing live. It's just in the studio when it's a drag.

Try to keep your mind. Try not to eat bad, try not to wake up with too bad of a hangover.

People expect not just songwriters but all personalities to pontificate about their egos.

Even if I'm writing music, it's with a lyric in mind, to communicate some kind of feeling.

It's the stupidest thing of all time, going on tour. It deteriorates the soul, but it's fun.

People just wanna see someone talking about themselves constantly. I'm not interested in that.

I don't need to control anything. Even with romantic partnerships, I don't need to control anyone.

When I'm trying to write a song for someone else, you can only see anything through your own eyes.

Dead men always have the last laugh. They win. They're dead. You can't hurt their feelings anymore.

A lot of people don't know what it's like to actually be hungry. I do. I've also slept on the streets.

You can't just explain a joke. Either it isn't funny, or the person just totally missed the punchline.

I'm making music with my friends. It's fun. It should be fun. You shouldn't make music if it isn't fun.

I don't think I'm even a musician. I don't play a lot of instruments, not really a soloist or anything.

I couldn't write a political song. There's just opinion; it's all arbitrary anyway. It's all subjective.

When I was young, I used to go to Baha'i camp, and they taught me a lot about the equality of religions.

If it's possible to have an enemy without making it personal or moral, then that's what I'm trying to do.

Making music and art is about expressing something that's universally human, maybe even beyond human, at best.

A baseball team is like a band. Because, conceptually, there are no heroes in baseball - there's just the team.

I don't think anyone knows anything and I don't trust people who say that they do. Don't give me a plan, give me action.

I think it's worthwhile to expand your comfort level and just do something awful. I wasn't trying to make music for money.

I don't care much about politics. That kind of witchcraft I stay away from because people end up dead. I'd rather die for music.

People take things a little too personal. I write these songs, and they're experiments with thoughts. That's it. I'm not a teacher.

I think I prefer singing in falsetto. I like the way it sounds. It doesn't sound like my natural voice. It sounds like a character.

I don't really write for an album. I just write songs whenever I feel like it, whenever they come to me. It's all a complete accident.

Once biographical information contaminates your consciousness, it's impossible to erase it and look at someone's work the same way again.

I just like writing lyrics. I find a little satisfaction in performing live, making records. But primarily, I just try to write every day.

I love songs because by nature they are concise; they sum up. I try to use as few words as possible. It's usually funnier that way, anyway.

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