I gathered all the different Peel Sessions recordings together - I did six or seven of them over the years - and listened to all of them. These definitely have at least a superficial relationship to each other because they're all very spare. Will Oldham More Quotes by Will Oldham More Quotes From 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. Will Oldham fans song thinking 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 cities mind sometimes 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. Will Oldham cds chance looks When I was a kid, I always thought that acting was going to be the way to go. Will Oldham acting kids way What is normally called religion is what I would tend to call music - participating in music, listening to music, making records and singing. Will Oldham records singing listening 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. Will Oldham interaction-with-others writing song People are looking for fame or a focus, and I can't provide that. Will Oldham focus fame people 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 roots listening people It's good when someone says, "Would you write a song for this purpose," or "would you record a song for this purpose," or "would you help me realize this song," again, for this purpose. Will Oldham purpose writing song Sometimes we need to tell ourselves that we're not going to do certain things, just in order to stay sane. Will Oldham sometimes order needs It's O.K. to accept good fortune. Will Oldham good-fortune accepting fortune It's nice to be able to backtrack and not be embarrassed by the music you used to listen to. Will Oldham able used nice My dream many years ago would've been to continue to write and record songs in record/album form for years to come, but now records aren't what they were then - and so it doesn't actually feel very good to make a record of songs. Will Oldham dream writing song 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 unhappy people thinking 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 lasts writing song I had a lot of time to myself, and I would listen to a lot of music, mostly music that I knew fairly well and had a relationship with. And I'd think, well, what is it that I've never been able to do that this person or people are able to do with this song? Why haven't I been able to do it, and what can they do that I wish I could do? And then I'd try to do that. I'd start each day getting into the songs, and I'd think about how I might get closer to this music that I love, but haven't been able to make before. Will Oldham writing song thinking Then little writings and recordings that thankfully continue to come up. I'm in this kind of wonderful, kind of awkward, off-putting, and strange position where there's nothing I want to do more than continue to make music, but the ways that I do things are not in tune with how I can do them commercially. Will Oldham awkward tunes writing 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 lines america thinking I think everybody works from a defensive position, for the most part, in the film industry. Will Oldham position film thinking Sometimes the ensemble 'Eighth Blackbird' will have performances and invite me to be a featured soloist. I think that is what they call it in that world-"featured soloist." Will Oldham sometimes world thinking
