Pastoral Resources

Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.

The songs are inspired by my experiences. Sometimes they are more than my real-life and, conversely, my life is more than just my songs.

Forgive, son; men are men; they needs must err.

Who cares about the clouds when we're together? Just sing a song and bring the sunny weather.

My son is 7 years old. I am 54. It has taken me a great many years to reach that age. I am more respected in the community, I am stronger, I am more intelligent and I think I am better than he is. I don't want to be a pal, I want to be a father.

I like it when songs develop in some way. Four minutes usually isn't enough time for something to develop musically.

So I learnt a few country western songs, I bought a chord book, and right away I started writing my own stuff, which nobody else did that, I don't know why.

I love to sing old Motown songs to myself, or some Patti Smith Edith Piaf or Billie Holiday. That gets me in the mood for singing.

I just can't seem to write songs about peace and love. Yeah right, how do you get that?

There's a lot of rage... you have to express it somehow. If I didn't express it in song, I'd become incredibly violent.

The way I choose to show my feelings is through my songs.

Maybe the most that you can expect from a relationship that goes bad is to come out of it with a few good songs.

My number one goal is to love, support and be there for my son.

But when I started writing songs, I stopped painting completely, and the only art things I do are connected to the career, like album sleeves and, to some extent, posters and things like that.

The quality of the writing, really. Simple as that. Beautiful words. It's very nice as a singer to do great songs, which have wonderful lyrics and strong feelings underneath the song.

I mean, there are so many of his songs that I like that I could easily do that one day.

My last son is leaving to go to college; my grandchildren are being born. My mother is living with me.

The songwriter mustn't fall in love with his own song. If it doesn't belong, he can't push it into a show. Let him save it; maybe it'll fit in another show.

A song just doesn't come on. I've always had to tease it out, squeeze it out.

I don't care how good a song is - if it holds back the storyline, stalls the plot, your audience will reject it.