Ben Folds

“A lot of 18-year-olds are like old men. They think they've seen everything.”

“My idea is to play with the people who you know want to get it right. Then it's fun and easy to record, and you can get down to details, like taking out cymbals so the verse doesn't dwarf the chorus, something like that.”

“Because I write very simply, but inside the simplicity, there's a lot of subtlety. That's what I'm proud of.”

“Rock and roll is - and should be - a kid's place.”

“There is still some art in pop music. But it can't happen if you're not inspired.”

“I do have that mindset - that most good art comes from some turmoil, from someone trying to come to some equilibrium, or come up and get a breath.”

“Billy Joel and Joe Jackson were both great, and they both play piano.”

“The reason I stop playing songs is usually because I get sick of them, and then they find themselves back into the set list at some point.”

“Why would I want to sound like Joni Mitchell? I've got Joni Mitchell records, and they're great, and I couldn't possibly be that good.”

“The nature of honesty is that if someone has information or knows something about you that you don't want heard, then they have power over you.”