My idols are singers like Billie Holiday and Erykah Badu because there's no gloss on what they do.
I'm far from being a consummate artist. I mean, this is just my first album, and the work is very new. I'm just beginning, and I'm certainly not worthy of demigod status. There's absolutely no danger of me reaching that.
We were pretty crappy in the beginning. We really didn't sound that great.
I never wanted to sound clean and pretty. I always wanted to have kind of a certain natural quality to my voice, and I wish it were more rough than it is.
I just think that's more exciting. When people used to cut records live, there were mistakes all the time that stayed in. It was part of the charm. You're kind of missing something if everything is all doctored-up and clinical. So when we hear a mistake that sounds interesting, we make a point to keep it.
I love listening to demos. They're so raw.
Music should be poor. Music should be with out air conditioning. That's just the way it is.
Ridin' was natural, not forced. I didn't try to make a Grammy record.
I feel nowadays a lot of bands can be too overly produced. There's something about the leather pants and bare bodies and Axl Rose running back and forth on a stage and going crazy. I love all that.
It's a dying art to play live anymore and just play raw. Who cares if you make a mistake? That's punk rock. Just go out and go for it and make some noise.
The first two My Morning Jacket records were basically demos.
