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
As it turns out, as an adult I can have a very unpleasant, fierce and unforgiving temper at times. But I don’t think I had that when I was a kid. – Will Oldham
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
Sometimes we need to tell ourselves that we’re not going to do certain things, just in order to stay sane. – Will Oldham
I think everybody works from a defensive position, for the most part, in the film industry. – Will Oldham
I make the songs and part of making them is singing them. But what you hear is not me. It’s the song. It’s through me. – Will Oldham
I think records and music are more appropriate and more respectful of the human soul than the churches are. And more respectful of the needs of humans to communicate with the aspects of themselves that are neglected by language. – Will Oldham
There’s very little admirable about being a pirate. There’s very little functional about a pirate. There’s very little real about a pirate. – Will Oldham
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
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
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
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
I have more respect for somebody who points at his ideal – in this case, the ideal of the pirate – and then becomes something that’s more radical, more exciting, more subversive than a pirate could ever be. – Will Oldham
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
I don’t think that word – the word pirate – has any real meaning. Or it’s something that’s had meaning imposed on it. – Will Oldham
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
I don’t like the idea of being surrounded by hidden things; people you can’t see in buildings and cars. – Will Oldham
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
I need to go someplace faraway that doesn’t have telephones and doesn’t have a record player and doesn’t have movie theaters and people walking down the street in order to not do anything. – Will Oldham
It’s nice to be able to backtrack and not be embarrassed by the music you used to listen to. – Will Oldham
