Where I'm from is like 'Hustle & Flow' versus '8 Mile.' It's that really grimy, box-Chevy, dope-boy, working-class music.
I would say there's a lot of similarity between folk and punk. It's written for the common man.
Rock n' roll was my art school. For many people from working-class backgrounds, rock wasn't a chosen thing, it was the only thing: the only avenue of creativity available for them.
I think people relate to Skynyrd; it's a working class band. They're just songs with messages. To this day, there's never been a song written that didn't have a message.
It was a source of shame for my family that I was in rock and roll, which is so blue-collar. It just isn't done. And I felt it, too.
If there ever was a poet for the working class Billy Joe Shaver and Merle Haggard would be my nomination.
Logically, when you talkin' about folk music and blues, you find out it's music of just plain people.
Composers should write tunes that chauffeurs and errand boys can whistle.
