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

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.

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

Thank God we don't know a lot about Shakespeare or Moses or Homer or Lautreamont. These are the best guys we got, and their art is powerful because they're mysterious.

People expect not just songwriters but all personalities to pontificate about their egos - they just wanna see someone talking about themselves constantly. I'm not interested in that.

I don't think music is my job - I don't think about it that way, because I don't really get paid. There's no paycheck at the end; it's more of a 'whatever is left over' kind of situation.