“ As an experiment, go out of your way to
write a non-story. It will still be a story, but it will have
a chance of being a different story. Our brains
make stories. It is as basic to us as breathing; we
cannot do otherwise.
“ Failure is a badge of honour; it means
you risked failure. If you don’t risk failure you’re
never going to do anything that’s different than
what you’ve already done, or what somebody else
has done.
“ [T]he truth is that anything of
value you might do comes from you. The way I work
is not the way that you work, and the whole point of
any creative act is that. What I have to offer is me,
what you have to offer is you, and if you offer
yourself with authenticity and generosity I will be
moved.
“ Thinking past any conclusion you’ve drawn will
reward you with a more complex insight and a
more compassionate world view. This is something
I’m constantly trying to learn and re-learn.
“ I wanted
to do something that I don’t know how to do, and
offer you the experience of watching someone
fumble, because I think maybe that’s what art
should offer. An opportunity to recognise our
common humanity and vulnerability.
“ [S]hame is not a catalyst for change; it is a paralytic. Anyone who has ever carried extreme personal shame knows this. Shame doesn’t make you stronger, nor does it help you to grow, or to be healthy, or to be sane. It keeps you in one place, very, very still.
“ He would joke, “It doesn’t matter. I can try to sit down and write a really good show, but I can’t really get writer’s block, because my show’s going to be on the air at 11:30. So first I write a show, and then I try to make it good.” And I was like, “Oh. Well, that’s what I’ll do. First, I’ll write a song, and then I’ll try to make it a good song.” So it gives you a structure to work with, and something to improve. That was the idea, and it changed my way of thinking about making music or making art, in that if you sit down, you got to put the work into it. You can’t sit and think and wait for inspiration to strike.
