It's no fun for me to cover a song and produce it the exact same way as it already exists. When I hear that happening, I have to say, 'What's the poi….

Every record turns into whatever the listener gets out of it..

My philosophy for producing a record is for everyone involved, including myself, to get out of the way of the song, and at the same time, listen to i….

The production process has a great way of bringing songs to light and that's a big part of it..

It's a hard thing to explain, but the more I arrange for strings, the more I realize the possibilities..

I get most of my inspiration from older records. Most of the records that I listen to were probably made before I was born, and I was born in the mid….

I don't like the way recording to digital sounds. Most of the time when I'm recording to 2-inch tape, I still have a romantic vision of how songs sou….

I had the naive, simplistic idea that producers and writers and artists of the time helped in a minuscule way to change the mind-set of America..

I have a very strong belief in God..

One of the great things about music is that it has the capability of time travel - you smell a certain smell in the room and it takes you back to you….

The South of France is one of my favorite places in the world..

The way that I'm working now is basically the way I've been working since I was a kid: Find the greatest artist in whatever you do, and rip them off ….

I'm somebody who doesn't feel the need to be in the driver's seat all the time. I appreciate the perspective of being in the passenger's seat sometim….

When I was about 15, I picked up the guitar and learned how to play by going through Beatles chords books. I got this Christmas gift with the entire ….

If you think of the way Howlin' Wolf made records, you get the feeling there wasn't a production manager onsite, or a publicist having his say on how….

It might be a meaningless moment, but those sparks that ignite the song.... It's mystical maybe, those magic moments. And to make music for a living,….

The best live recordings capture elements of surprise onstage..

It's a luxury to not have to just be performing with other people to have my music heard..

Certain things you have to stumble on to. They can't be preprogrammed..

Try to take your vision and ego as far away from the song as possible. Give as much respect as you can to the song and the initial inspiration..

I learned a long time ago that fame and money is not a ticket to happiness..