When asked if he had fears about breaking up the band after 15 successful years:
I guess a few, but more than that I just had a feeling that it needed to change -- needed to break the soil and let a little bit of air and rainwater in there. It felt like something had to alter in order to keep it interesting. It becomes formulaic and that's exactly why it becomes important to keep shaking it up. ... I play a certain kind of thing -- a certain moody thing here or a strummy thing there -- and if you've got the same musicians around you they invariably react to it in a certain way and after awhile the stockpile of ideas runs a little low. And unless they've got the same sort of total impulse to try to think around it and re-invent it in some way, you just end up repeating yourself.
His icons:
My heroes were Dylan and Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits and it was very much about cutting a track live in the studio -- that's all I really cared about: the moment as it existed then and there and I didn't really want to embellish it. ... Nearly every record I really cherish is all over the place in some way.
On whether he was a victim of his own success:
It's not so bad having the world hear your songs. It's definitely an improvement on total obscurity.
On how to create a fresh start:
I think the way that we sync up with people around us has a profound effect on what we're doing.
When asked about the paradox between the desire for a sense of security and the desire to shake things up:
It's the thrill of discovery -- that's the heart of it. ... There's nothing more exciting than discovery before the knowing -- the slightly unknowing moment when something just begins in front of you.
On channeling the creative muse:
At the risk of making everything sound like hard work, you have your moments of inspiration but you have to work for them. Most of it is just doing practical things and just showing up. You show up and, yeah, some days it just starts to click. Suddenly, from nowhere, it's like "where did that come from." Same three chords, but this time something special happens. That's what you work for: For the days when it all really comes sweet. The difference with anyone who achieves a lot is that they can just keep going and keep the quality even on the days when you're not feeling so good.
On the word "art":
I don't like the word "art" -- it sounds far too precious and important. I just make songs is what I do. An "artist" sounds like Michaelangelo -- it's some elevated position which I don't think is really applicable.
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David Gray performs "Kathleen" and then talks about the reasons for his success in Ireland (White Ladder is the top selling album of all time in Ireland)
David Gray performs "Fugitive" in Ireland
