A song is like a dream, and you have to make it come true. They're like strange countries that you have to enter. You can write a song anywhere, in a railroad compartment, on a boat, on horseback -- it helps to be moving. Sometimes people who have the greatest talent for writing songs never write any because they are not moving.

I was just like, 'You know what? If I want to write about the culture war, I don't wanna be a pawn in it anymore.

And you find as a writer there are certain spots on the planet where you write better than others, and I believe in that. And New Orleans is one of them.

You know, as a writer, I'm more of a listener than a writer, cuz if I hear something I will write it down.

A lot of my songs are fantasy. I can dream up all kinds of things. That's the kind of world I live in. It's very sort of flamboyant, and that's the kind of way I write. I love it.

Songwriters write songs, but they really belong to the listener.