If you come on my property, I've got you from the second that you enter on. There's little lasers my TVs come on in my room and fall just right on you. So, there's no way to sneak up on me. And I've got a loud dog.
My whole back's tattooed. I just wanted a twist. I was always in punk bands when I was little I think that's where the tie comes from.
I've always said I've wanted to be around forever. I never wanted to be the latest, greatest thing. I want to be like Willie Nelson - touring when I'm 70. To do that, you can't be the latest, greatest thing because those things fizzle out.
I think the real problem is that nobody buys albums anymore, so you don't get the depth of the artists that are out today. What you get is whatever they felt is politically correct to get on there and actually make some impact. I think that's where you're losing your depth. You're only getting the very top of everything. It really bothers me.
I really like the old stuff that I cut my musical teeth on, and I loved it when the industry was just like that, without really a genre. Today, country radio's more aimed at a demographic than a genre. It just softens everything.
Country was about character. Country's changed because of monsters like Clear Channel who bought up all the stations and sliced them up into formats. Our demographic is now the soccer mom.
I try to write relevant songs about life and whatever I'm going through and whatever people are going through.
I've never listened to an album once I've finished it. All I hear is what I should've done different. I beat myself up over it.
I try never to focus on the radio, just find great songs, find emotion and just write the best songs you can. I think when you get fixated on trying to do something too accurate, it becomes more washed out and less what you intended it to be. So I think each time the challenge for me is to try and reinvent a little bit.
I am so anti-people's opinions when I'm making a record, but when it's finished and I put it out there, I hope somebody likes it.
