I just had a child on purpose at age 56, I'm pretty f---ing optimistic. Steve Earle More Quotes by Steve Earle More Quotes From Steve Earle Records are only one-dimensional. Even film is only one-dimensional. That's why music and live theatre is so important, because it's not the same thing. A recording is just a record of part of the experience, but it's not the whole experience. Steve Earle live-theatre records important I'm not going to waste a second feeling sorry for myself because I'm not a bigger star than I am. I can walk down the street in most places in the world and I still drive really nice cars. Steve Earle nice stars sorry I'm one of the few people that I know that sings better than they did 20 years ago. Steve Earle years-ago people years What saves me from being a drug addict is sort of the opposite. It's me realizing that I don't really control anything. Steve Earle realizing drug opposites The idea that murder victims' families are best served by continuing the cycle of violence is something that I consider to be not only a lie, but criminally negligent. You lie to victims' families when you tell them they're going to receive closure if they participate in the process and witness the execution of a human being. Steve Earle murder-victims lying ideas San Antonio is like a military town. It's like literally - when I was growing up there, there were five Air Force bases, plus Fort Sam Houston. I was always sort of near the military. Steve Earle growing-up military air My son was diagnosed with autism. He's OK, he makes eye contact, but he doesn't talk. He needs eight hours a day of very intensive school, and you wouldn't even believe me if I told you how much it costs. Steve Earle eye believe school Songwriters are expanding time rather than compressing time. My short stories tend to be old fashioned, with a beginning, middle and end. Steve Earle beginning-middle-and-end ends stories You make decisions, and that's what separates art from some other pop music. It doesn't mean that you can't make an embarrassing amount of money, for a borderline Marxist, doing something that you love, but it does mean that this huge pool of money that was out there when I started making records in the '80s is gone. Steve Earle decision mean art I wasn't raised to not write about issues, and I'm just living in really politically charged times. You know, I'd rather write songs about girls, but it's just hard to do right now. Steve Earle girl writing song My main area of activism is the death penalty, and it will continue to be once this crisis is over with. Steve Earle activism death-penalty penalties What songwriting does better than almost anything is empathy - it's incredibly empathetic. The reason people sat around in bars when they were bummed out and listened to country songs is because it made them feel better in the long run. Steve Earle running song country When you're really bummed out, the last thing you want to hear is up-tempo and positive. And it lets you know that you're not alone, that somebody has hurt before. It works the same way with chick songs as it does with political songs. When you hear somebody singing about these things, you know that you're not alone, that somebody else is suspicious of what's going on around us in the world. So you don't feel like you're crazy, and you feel like you might be able to make a difference. Steve Earle crazy hurt song Politics has always been in my music. Anybody who doesn't understand how political "Copperhead Road" is isn't listening very well. Steve Earle wells political listening They say death and taxes are the only things that are inevitable. The truth is, you can not pay your taxes. I've done it, and there's consequences, but it can be done. Death you're not going to get out of, and you kind of got to deal with it. Steve Earle you truth-is truth death I love e-books. I can carry the complete works of William Shakespeare around with me all the time. Just think about that. Whether I'm on an airplane or wherever. Being able to have a library in your back pocket basically is something I support. Steve Earle me support time love My audience is, you know, pinkos in big cities. Steve Earle big know you audience I think the singer/songwriter genre is going to be like bluegrass and jazz. You can make a living at it, but it's not part of the musical mainstream anymore. Steve Earle think you living jazz Making art in America is sort of a political statement in and of itself. It's not the best environment for that sometimes. Steve Earle best political sometimes art
