140 Quotes by Will Oldham

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.

I don’t usually read reviews. I usually read the interviews, just because I figure it’s a good way to try to do them better if I ever have to do them again.

The first music I bought when I was nine or 10 was pop music from the ’50s and ’60s, like The Everly Bros., Elvis, Del Shannon, The Flamingos, The Platters, whatever I could get my hands on. And then some musical things, like Camelot, Singing in the Rain and Hair.

With women, you always have to make an educated decision to figure out what they’re thinking. It’s not one that’s necessarily sympathetic, always. Of course, we’re all human beings, but the gender thing is big thing. And a great thing.

When I listen to them, they’re like they were made as time capsules in the first place. You know that when you’re writing the song and recording the song, you’re already sending a message to the future listener, whoever and wherever and whenever that will be.

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 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.

I was really looking forward to doing the thing that I do – I basically appear just at the beginning and at the end of the play – but when I got to opening night, I started to get really sad that that was the last time I was going to see the play as a spectator without actually being in it.

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