“I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans, and there are not many other things besides this, is that humans make culture. If you're an artist, a big part of folk is noticing what other people are doing and incorporating it and changing it - the way that songs warp and change over time.” PeopleIfsThinkingWayHumansBigsFormArtistSongCultureFolksNoticingFolk MusicWarpIncorporatingChanges Over Time Author:Will Sheff
“I always think it's far more admirable to confuse people than it is to reassure them.” PeopleThinkingAdmirable Author:Will Sheff
“When people downloading records for free you start to think, "Is it worth spending all this money to make a record sound good, especially if it's going to end up as an mp3?" But I can't drive myself too crazy thinking about that. On one level, being involved in art is all a quixotic thing to begin with.” PeopleThinkingArtCrazyArt Is Author:Will Sheff
“If I'm working on a set of songs, and thinking about putting them together in a collection, I start to think about what they have in common. Either on purpose or without meaning to, I shape them all in the same kind of way, because I'd rather the album feel like a galaxy of things that all have to do with each other. I do that with sonic elements, too - it's a matter of each record having its own specific identity.” ThinkingKindTogetherPurposeSongCommonIdentityGalaxy Author:Will Sheff
“A good writer can simulate a page torn out of somebody's diary, and give you every little voyeuristic thrill you might get from that, but actually tell you a broader story. I think it's a noble idea that it's cathartic to open a vein for everybody to see, but ultimately, you're just getting blood everywhere and making a mess. I like the idea that there are deeper and more meaningful things to talk about than your own misery. But at the same time, there's something really interesting about skirting that line and making it seem like you're doing that.” ThinkingGivingInterestingLike YouMiseryMeaningfulMessTornReally Interesting Author:Will Sheff
“What's funny about my voice is, no matter what I sing, I sound like I'm really sad. I don't even mean to do it, it's just something my voice has. I think that's one of the reasons why Okkervil has been dubbed as really mopey - I have this tone to my voice that sounds like that.” ThinkingMeanReasonReally Sad Author:Will Sheff
“I try not to read reviews, but if it's a really important review or somebody sends it to me, I'll read it. It's really interesting when you read a review of yourself, you see this weird reflected image - it's like looking a funhouse mirror. Like, "It's sort of me, but is my neck really that elongated?" Sometimes it's vaguely embarrassing what people think of you. When I was in Italy doing this press-interview day, this guy asked me, "Are you a tortured soul?" It's embarrassing to have somebody think you're a tortured soul, or that you think of yourself as a tortured soul.” PeopleThinkingTryingImportantSoulSometimesGuyInterestingEmbarrassingThink Of YouReally Interesting Author:Will Sheff
“People think that because they've seen your name in print, you're rich. I assume that. But all it means is that there was some intrepid interviewer who bothered to give you a call.” PeopleThinkingGivingMeanRichAssumingPrintBothered Author:Will Sheff
“I always just wanted to have the wherewithal to make another record. I never really dreamt of fortune or fame, because it seemed so unlikely. I'm much more interested in people's perceptions of me than what my life is really like. It appears that some people think it's all cocaine and caviar for Okkervil River. And it's not. I'm making a little bit more than I was making at the video store right now.” PeopleThinkingFamePerceptionCocaine Author:Will Sheff
“I have complicated feelings about nostalgia. I think that sometimes it can be dangerous. It can airbrush the truth, or fictionalize the truth, which leads to the worst kind of sentimentality. But I'm also a sentimental person who feels quite a bit of nostalgia.” ThinkingKindSometimesFeelingsWorstDangerousComplicatedNostalgiaSentimentalSentimentality Author:Will Sheff
“There's something really special about childhood. When you're a kid, you're at your most creative, and you're very plugged into your imagination and emotions. But when you get older, you're encouraged to dance around your feelings and disengage, and I think it's crucial to fight that.” ThinkingFeelingsKidsFightingImaginationEmotionCreativeChildhoodSpecial Author:Will Sheff
