I am happy with what comes, I don't have expectations of any stature.
The first canon of my religion is that you shouldn't try to convince anybody to believe like you do.
Words have been the most difficult thing for me. Melodies have been the easiest for me; I have more than enough melodies to go around.
I'm not as aware of categories in music as some people are. To me it's just music. I'm interested in all kinds of music.
Karen Carpenter was just a singularly amazing singer. There was just not anybody like her.
I've grown up on Bob Dylan and all that, but there was a certain standard set up by people before 1955.
I have damaged nerve endings on the right side, so my piano style comes from designing stuff I can play with my right hand. And some of it effectively mimics classical stuff.
My first job in a country band was after I moved to California.
I had two parts of my body: my left side, which was strong and somewhat dumb, and the other side was weak and hard to control but perhaps smarter. It gave me a very strong sense of the duality of the plane that we live in.
I played on a few Frank Sinatra sessions.
My hobby is silence.
All my writing takes place during the recording of the master tapes. I never do have songs when I start up an album. I actually write them while I record.
When I was in grade school, I had a little duet act with a guy who was a beautiful singer, and somebody recorded it on a wire machine. They played it back for us, and I went, 'I hear Donald, but what is that other ugly voice?' It turned out to be me, of course.
If everybody'd agree to quit using money, I'd be happy to play for free every day for awhile. But I don't play benefits or any kind of fund-raisers. I prefer to play at hospitals, for people who otherwise can't see us. But I can't see playing for causes, whatever the cause may be.
I was playing with George Harrison one time, and George loves takes. This song was up to Take 160. I said, 'George, do you want me to play the same thing or 160 different things?' It drove me crazy because, in general, I'm ready to play my part.
Oklahoma was a dry state, and consequently, there was no liquor laws. And I was able to take advantage of that by playing in nightclubs at the age of 14. It was real handy.
I started writing rather late in the game. I was fascinated about the story about how Bob Dylan, for 'Nashville Skyline,' wrote between takes. So I'd try to sing new songs off the top of my head. I had rather less than spectacular success on that. But a lot of my songs were done that way.
I wish I had gone into industrial plumbing. That's a joke.
Both economics and politics are false sciences.
I was on the road with Jerry Lee Lewis when I was 15 - I can't imagine not doing it. That's what I do.
