Songs like the Buck Owens tune, for example, are very simple and straightforward, and recording it really gave me a chance to get into and get a sense of Buck's personality, a feel for that whole Bakersfield sound.
My intention here is to make it clear that not a single cell of my composition, here in regard to The Raven, is found by chance or intuition, that the composition moved towards perfection with the precision and inevitability of a mathematical equatio...
I'm not the kind of guy who sits around at home and writes songs. Once in a while I'll pick up a guitar and noodle around, but it's rare.
I think we're a band with a lot of history now so it's nice to come up with something that doesn't have any history at all.
You have Extreme and Van Halen and the history that I have with other people I played with. There are some effects that will hopefully break that stereotype.
I know there's some kind of history to mountain music-like it came from Ireland or England or Scotland and we kept up the tradition.
I am not naturally inclined to history or geography - maybe that's why I like to sing about it, because it helps me remember.
I have actual dreams of Bruce Springsteen calling me up on stage to wear a bandanna and play rhythm guitar next to Little Steven.
When it comes down to helping kids, a lot of ways for education to move forward is through music because that's exciting to kids. Reading books and going to a bookstore is not that exciting.
One of the most beautiful things about Britain, apart from the NHS and the free education, is the British Army.
Visible Faith is an expression of my Christian faith which must be visible to be real! I gave the name to the collection of musicians who worked with me on the record.
I love the intimate, single spotlight, troubadour-y quiet, delicate moments. But I also love Springsteen and screaming and shouting.
My friends are Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, and we're singing about mortality, getting older. It's an interesting time.
I think in society we tend to put ourselves in boxes and corners and restrict ourselves, and we constantly feel the need to not say this or not wear this.
When they show the destruction of society on color TV, I want to be able to look out over Los Angeles and make sure they get it right.
I could never be a country person, sitting around trees trying to write a song. I would rather be in the middle of society, whether it's growing or crumbling.
The most important thing to a lot of people, is to belong to something that's hip or whatever. To be a part of something that's not society, just a clique.
I definitely listened to country music. I don't think I listened to hair bands as much as I did Bruce Springsteen and U2 and Aerosmith.
I truly believe that people like myself, who are in a position of entertainers in the limelight, should keep their mouth shut on politics.
I could write songs about politics, but I'm conscious of not writing songs that sound the same as the ones I wrote 30 years ago.
To me, my peers are Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger. I'm not talking age-wise, but in terms of careers. Madonna. Those are my peers. And I'm okay with that.
