Our 10 Favorite Q&As From 2010

Fran Healy

“If you write a good enough melody, then it’s almost like a magnet that attracts certain phrases, or certain words, towards it. And then the next stage is the easy part, which is like doing a medium-difficulty crossword from The Guardian. You’ve just got to fill in blanks and it writes itself.”

Sean Wilentz, author or Bob Dylan In America

“I always come to Dylan shows with the expectation of learning something new about the songs or hearing the songs in different ways, and I’m often very pleased with what I hear.”

Joanna Newsom

“It’s starting to feel like I ought to say yes to the occasional commercial, in order to continue making music for a living.”

Liz Phair

“I really felt like I stumbled into a new style which, I’m not gonna start rapping, I’m not Joaquin Phoenix. It was just something that needed to be aired.”

Richard Thompson

“I never thought [Shoot Out The Lights] was a great album. I like the songs, but I don’t particularly like the recording or the performances. We should have spent longer in the studio.”

Chris Hillman

“Gram [Parsons] also had the talent when he started, but he didn’t measure up to Gene [Clark] at all as far as work ethic and all that. It got the better of both those guys. Gram came up with some great songs but I’ll stand by this, and don’t take this wrong, I think some of the best songs Gram ever did were the ones we wrote together.”

Dan Wilson

“That phrase, ‘I”m not feeling it,’ whenever I hear that phrase, I get really annoyed.”

Mumford & Sons

“We were just talking about how O Brother Where Art Thou was like a critical moment for us.”

Julian Casablancas

I think I’ve only read two books like front page to last page in my entire life.

Which two?

The Odyssey and Crime And Punishment.

Neil Young

On Jimmy Fallon’s impression of him: Oh, it’s great. I think he’s fantastic. I’d like to see him do me now. See what kind of legs he has.