Jill Sobule

“I was very inspired by the videos of the crowds at the Palin rallies.”

“I'm an older woman who's not going to have a shiny pop song ever again, so that gives me license to do whatever the hell I want.”

“I haven't learned anything new on guitar since high school. And I think it's time to learn something.”

“When people see you have a song on MTV, they think you are doing well - but you know, the way the traditional label deal was set up, it is really hard for an artist, unless they sold a lot, to see anything.”

“People get to a certain age and success that they stop being curious. I'm still curious because I haven't really had that success. I've never done a record to catch whatever the latest sound is. It's my love of music, eclectic-ness, and the music that I heard my entire life that seeps in. That's what you're hearing.”

“I think I'm different from a lot of singer-songwriters because some of my favorite singer-songwriters told stories. Like John Prine.”

“As a musician, I have always refrained from criticizing another artist.”

“When I write songs, I like to write lyrics first, and I think that's different from a lot of singer-songwriters. But I heard Sammy Cahn was asked what comes first, the lyrics or the music, and he said, 'The paycheck.'”

“I always did go against the singer-songwriter form. I think I've always had a lot of storytelling songs.”

“I have never made a cent off a record in my life. I have never recouped enough, and I never sold enough.”

“I was a weird kid.”

“I had a brother six years older than me, so I wasn't just listening to teenybopper stuff. My brother had the cooler music, but my parents had the Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, the Association, the Fifth Dimension; these groups were un-cool, but I secretly loved them.”

“I don't have a Madonna-sized fan base, so I can actually e-mail and talk to everyone that e-mails me because I am totally appreciative, and I like my fans! They seem to have the same interests as me. They are kind of nerdy and cool - and have good taste, obviously.”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a spy detective or a rock star.”

“I like being a storyteller. I'm bored with myself; I like to write about others. I have a lot of names in my songs: Karen, Margaret, Mary Kay. Even if it's about me, I want to put it through someone else. The music is the soundtrack to the story.”

“I'm not one who goes for the 'all press is good press' dictum.”