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" Writing songs is a profession; so it's not an attempt to take things from my interactions with other people and for some reason give them to a total stranger to listen to. I find it offensive to hear other people do that. "

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" I think that what trips up a lot of great musicians is that they become involved with too many things that aren't where their strengths lie. "

Will Oldham

Strengths

Musicians

Lie

" As it turns out, as an adult I can have a very unpleasant, fierce and unforgiving temper at times. But I don't think I had that when I was a kid. "

" It's O.K. to accept good fortune. "

Will Oldham

Good Fortune

Good

" It's nice to be able to backtrack and not be embarrassed by the music you used to listen to. "

" I think everybody works from a defensive position, for the most part, in the film industry. "

" I like rural areas. "

Will Oldham

Rural Areas

Rural

" I make the songs and part of making them is singing them. But what you hear is not me. It's the song. It's through me. "

Will Oldham

Singing

Song

" It is more rewarding to be complicit with scarcity than excess. "

Will Oldham

Excess

Than

" I don't like the idea of being surrounded by hidden things; people you can't see in buildings and cars. "

" I really hate press. "

" Too much emphasis is put on American roots music when people try and place me. You know, I grew up listening to punk. "

Will Oldham

Listening

People

" People are looking for fame or a focus, and I can't provide that. "

" Cities are made for enemies to destroy. "

" I think records and music are more appropriate and more respectful of the human soul than the churches are. And more respectful of the needs of humans to communicate with the aspects of themselves that are neglected by language. "

" Sometimes we need to tell ourselves that we're not going to do certain things, just in order to stay sane. "

" I don't like going to cities. I don't mind maybe being in a city sometimes for a few hours, but I pretty much don't like cities. I don't even like passing through them. "

Will Oldham

City

Mind

" I do not want a personal relationship with my fans. Or to do anything that encourages them to think they have one with me. They can have a personal relationship with my songs. That's fine, but they don't know me. "

Will Oldham

Think

Want

" I think that America in general is piratical. Every time we accept a paycheck for doing almost nothing, allowing us to live above the poverty line, we're engaging in piracy. "

Will Oldham

Poverty

America

" I write a song to be recorded. And to some extent to be performed, but definitely more to be recorded than performed, because the recording will last longer than a performance. "

Will Oldham

Performance

Last

" When I was a kid, I always thought that acting was going to be the way to go. "

Will Oldham

Always

Kid

" I figure it's okay to make certain rules, whether or not people despise you for it at the time. "

" I'd like my records to reach as many people as possible, but I'm also thinking in terms of how I can keep from getting jaded or unhappy with the process. "

Will Oldham

Process

People

" What is normally called religion is what I would tend to call music - participating in music, listening to music, making records and singing. "

" I need to go someplace faraway that doesn't have telephones and doesn't have a record player and doesn't have movie theaters and people walking down the street in order to not do anything. "

Will Oldham

Walking

Need

" Whenever I see something that looks like it could be good - whether it's on vinyl, CD or cassette - if it's not too expensive, I'll take a chance. "

" I have more respect for somebody who points at his ideal - in this case, the ideal of the pirate - and then becomes something that's more radical, more exciting, more subversive than a pirate could ever be. "

Will Oldham

Respect

Radical

" I don't think that word - the word pirate - has any real meaning. Or it's something that's had meaning imposed on it. "