A lot of folks have been asking me the question "What inspires your lyrics?" Well, not a lot. A few. let's face it...I'm an unknown. At least I've become well known enough for people to start asking questions! I had a slow day working for the man so I decided it was fine time to nail down a definitive answer....or maybe just my top eight.

1. The Bible - be you believer, naysayer, skeptic, pagan, born again or out and out atheist the bible has got to be one of my biggest influences. Nothing about building a theology. It's all about images. I think what ever your background the bible possesses the power of myth, tradition and imagery...all things I strive to keep alive in everything I write.

2. Rundown Motels - If I carried a camera more often than not, there would be hundreds of pictures of me standing next to old Motels. No corporate, swank, free soap and wifi joints. Real dives. Free HBO dives, you know, the places that boast about Color TV and hourly rates. If I had a dollar for every time I mentioned a Hotel, Motel, Inn, Lodge or Bed & Wed in my songs I'd be a rich man.

3. Truck Stops/Diners - (see Rundown Motels) The bad coffee, the quirky waitresses, the characters behind the registers...I love ‘em all. The weirder the better. Big bonus if there's a cafe added on to them. Coolest one I've been to lately was in Missouri Valley, IA. The "Bluegrass Cafe" complete with a banjo in the logo. Named the cafe after bluegrass when a regional old time country music festival moved into town annually. Sad thing is- they had to move the fest somewhere else because the train tracks were so close to the festival grounds that the pickers couldn't hear what the hell they were playing every two hours for about fifteen minutes or so. I think “Folsom Prison” and “Orange Blossom Special” were banned as covers there too...you know, because of the whole big-ass noisy train thing. So here's this "Bluegrass Cafe" in the middle of nowhere for now rhyme or reason. Foods okay.

4. Wall Drug - This includes all souvenir stands, campy family points of interest. Wall Drug has got one of the coolest vibes I've ever experienced. Western cheese and old time sentiments. I could spend a whole day there drinking free ice water and 10 cent coffee, no matter how bad it tastes that day. Some of my favorite spots are the chapel, the weird animatronics displays in the gift stores and the western wear outlet that sells numbered ( yes, numbered) quantities of some of the most kick-ass western shirts a struggling songwriter could never afford. And I say kick -ass, I mean spangled, dangled, embroidered, ironed on and embellished enough to make Marty Stuart look twice. If I make some money at this music thing- I'm going to Wall Drug with the family and buying a numbered western shirt for us all. Awkward family photo moments galore. Also, much to the chagrin of my wife I like to take photos of me copping a feel on the wood carved figurines of chicks on the benches. I'm not well.

5. Casinos - not for the gambling (most times!) but rather for the scenery. Be it buxom waitress looking uncomfortable in her swimsuit/showgirl/corset, freak, geek or limping cowboy- I could write a whole album after a few hours of people watching at a casino. It could be the expression on someone's face, the way they're dressed or even a couple interacting. It's best if you study them while gambling however, often times you'll be pegged as a stalker if you lean against the wall and stare which lands you in the casino parking lot. Not as nearly hopping out there. Not recommended in Vegas either unless you’re on the original strip.

6. Tattoos- Tattoos are like pieces of scripture to me. Just as powerful as a holy book. They hold myth, symbolism and meaning like a lost gospel. Be they blurry, jagged, cheap, elaborate or stunning- I dig ‘em all. One of the coolest and strangest events in my career was a huge guy taking off his clothes at my merch table one night after the band and I had kicked things off for David Allan Coe. He spent all of twenty minutes showing me his tattoos and what they meant to him, where he got them and why my music reminded him of the one on his chest. They are deeply personal and dare I say spiritual snippets of ink on skin. This does not include Ed Hardy fashion. I think Ed Hardy shirts are for pussies that can’t commit.

7. Signs - I'm a sign maker by trade. Often times designing a neon sign is like writing a song because they direct, communicate and attract people. I'm fortunate to be successful and work in the field I'm in, and often times an old beat up restaurant sign or an old piece of neon can spark an idea that gets me writing. "Motel City" is one of my favorite tunes inspired by a broken piece of neon that came into the shop to be repaired- a real vintage piece off of an old drive in. Liquor store signs, old discarded logos...lots of life there.

8.Gravemarkers - I get names of characters in songs by reading tombstones. Sort of creepy- but they're dead so they can't really sue me can they? I just happen to be walking through a cemetery sometimes and I see names like Porter Lee and Cordele from "In God's Name" Mary Jane Walker from "Rambling Mary Jane Walker" and Dettmann from "..we stumbled down to Dettmann's shack..." in "Promissary Road"...all snatched from a headstone. Rural ones beside country churches are the best- unless you're in Minnesota- some of those weird Nordic names would never work in a song, and I'm not that much of a lyrical daredevil.