My dad and grandpa were in the army and as a country singer you're constantly playing at military bases all across the country and meeting soldiers and their families and hearing their stories.

I have been waiting a long time for this. It's been my dream forever. Now that it's a reality, I love it. I haven't been burnt out at all and I have a bunch of guys with me that feel the same way.

I'm thinking of you, that's all I do, all the time. You're always the first and the last thing on this heart of mine. No matter where I go, or what I do, I'm thinking of you.

I'm always looking for things that make me kind of uncomfortable.

When I was 13, I was just figuring out how to play 'Eruption,' poorly, by Eddie Van Halen.

You cant write about stuff you dont know about. You have to live it. You have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Live life to be a good songwriter.

I'm a member of the George Jones fan club, and I'm a member of U2's fan club.

I also was a huge 'Dukes of Hazzard' fan. I used to have T-shirts that said 'Dierks of Hazzard' custom-made.

Country music has always been the best shrink that 15 bucks can buy.

I'm a huge fan of Billy Idol. I spiked my hair every day like him in 7th and 8th grade.

Blackberry Smoke is the real deal!

And it's really very difficult to kill someone when all your inner instincts would oblige you to take off your hat first!

The girl burst out laughing

It isn't a matter of black is beautiful as much as it is white is not all that's beautiful.

If you hurt Muse, I will hunt you down, use every rusted weapon I own, cut off your precious parts and feed them to the hellhounds." Ryder

There's a lot of music that sounds like it's literally computer-generated, totally divorced from a guy sitting down at an instrument.

When I make my work, I am making what I hope to be something functional - a space for individual contemplation and reflection. I want my art to be useful.

If you have faith in God, if you believe that God can use you, if you are willing to take a step of faith here and there, then God can do incredible things through you.

To me I just, I'm a geek when it comes to cinematographers . And when it comes to Robert and when it comes to someone like Roger Deakins who shot Prisoners and he shot Jarhead.

I do remember the people who believed in me in the beginning. I'll never forget that.