I don't pretend to be an astrophysicist or anything, even though I do read about certain things like metaphysics and cosmology that I've always just been really interested in. I don't pretend to be able to sit down and pontificate on any of these subjects.

Sturgill Simpson

Categorized in : Always Things Down Pretend

Even with most finite planning you never know what the final result will reveal itself to be until it's staring back at you.

Sturgill Simpson

planning finals results

Everybody is on drugs . . . just give 'em what they want.

Sturgill Simpson

ems drug giving

I lived in Japan for about two years. I spent my time equally between religiously studying Aikido in Shinjuku by day and hard partying in Shibuya and Roppongi by night. On more than a few nights, those subways were my own personal stage coach to hell.

Sturgill Simpson

japan party night

I believe framing reality is one of the only ways we can ever be sure it actually exists. In that regard, I feel as though I'm still learning who I am as an artist.

Sturgill Simpson

artist believe reality

I someday hope to find the time and coin to invest more of my creative energy towards the visual media side of releasing music. I'd love to make short film videos pushing the conventional standards of what a country music video can be.

Sturgill Simpson

media creative country

It's a long road, so we are just trying to stay focused and grounded and keep moving forward. I'll take it, though.

Sturgill Simpson

road stay-focused moving-forward long

Somebody told me once it takes an Americana song five minutes to say what a country song says in three - so I try to write country songs. But really, all good music is just soul music.

Sturgill Simpson

good me music soul

Willie Nelson, Marty Robbins, Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley - guys like that were huge influences.

Sturgill Simpson

influences guys were like

I had a great job with the railroad, a good salary.

Sturgill Simpson

job great good salary

My paternal grandfather, when he was in the army in World War II - he was over in the South Pacific, and he thought he was gonna die. And he wrote a letter to my grandmother and their newborn son, thinking he wasn't gonna come home.

Sturgill Simpson

home war son thinking

Looking back on it, now I can identify the points in my life when I wasn't playing, and music - and didn't have that outlet - those were the points when I was most unguided and self destructive because I didn't have that channel to get those energies out. I'm a much healthier person when I play music.

Sturgill Simpson

my-life music self life

I'm grateful to all the non-risk-takers.

Sturgill Simpson

grateful

It's hard enough to sit at a table and talk to most people as it is. But we can go to some town, and there's 300 people we've never met before, and by the third song, we're connecting with everyone in that room.

Sturgill Simpson

never enough song people

Country music especially can get very formulaic - you know, you have to have your verses and a bridge and a chorus, and a lot of the songs are written as just plain and simple poetry on the road.

Sturgill Simpson

you music poetry simple

I walked in, looked around, and the navy recruiter was a really hot brunette, so I signed up with her.

Sturgill Simpson

her up navy hot

Saviours get crucified.

Sturgill Simpson

crucified get

Some people will say, and have said, that I'm trying to run from country, but I'm never going to make anything other than a country record.

Sturgill Simpson

some-people never country people

I worked for Union Pacific. I started out as a conductor at an intermodal switching facility outside of Salt Lake City. We'd pull in trains from all over the country, break them apart, consolidate the freight, and build other trains. It was great until I screwed up and took a management position. Then it became no fun very quickly.

Sturgill Simpson

city great management fun

I think when you're dealing with any issues about trying to become a better human being, you have to look at a lot of things about yourself that maybe you don't want to or aren't able to.

Sturgill Simpson

yourself look think you

The art is what can't be put on a timeline. You can't say, 'Well, I'm going to make a record in May because that's when the producer has a window.' So just recording and getting things out is paramount for me.

Sturgill Simpson

me you window art