55 Quotes by David Means

Folk songs, whatever else they might be, are mainly craft.

Wars never simply end, not for those in combat and not for the culture, and one way or another, they shape-shift from generation to generation.

What I appreciate about Radiohead's work - and it's most evident in 'Hail to the Thief' - is how the juxtaposition of narratives on the band's albums somehow creates a sense of wholeness.

In the days following 9/11, when we were reeling and disoriented, there was a kind of solace to be found in old recordings, and even pseudo-folk singers like James Taylor seemed to be safeguarding something, drawing back bygone days.

I think that those moments before a performer plays are the moments when the potential for something to be created may - or may not - arrive.

Every interaction with another person involves a dance of expectation, even when you're just passing someone in the street. Inside those moments - however brief they may be - there is a kind of anticipatory silence.

America turns its back on the mentally ill. It likes to think it doesn't, but it does.

You don't know what you need when you're a young writer. You can get small slivers of critical input, advice, comments, but if you're deep in the perplexity of your own process, as you should be, sorting it out in your own way, nothing is going to guide you more than small gestures of encouragement.

The wonderful thing about being an American writer is you've got this vastness to draw from.