Everyone has to kind of fend for themselves.

- Neko Case

If I could ever be on a Missy Elliott record, I could then die. Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige - I love hearing them interviewed, I love the way they talk about their art. They're very self-assured, they're funny, they're inviting. I love it.

- Neko Case

I try not to be overly literal. When I'm writing songs, I write down a lot of words, and then I try to simplify it. I like to give people hints or words that make visual pictures for them.

- Neko Case

I just want to make stories. They don't have to have a moral or a reason. There might be some mild cautionary notes, but they're not moral. They don't impart any Judeo-Christian ethic of any kind.

- Neko Case

I have a real dog-like mentality, in that it's like, 'Where is my next meal coming from? Am I ever gonna eat again? Will I ever write another song again? Will anyone show up for tour?' I think it comes from being really poor as a kid.

- Neko Case

I don't know anybody who doesn't hate being called alt.country. It just sounds like a website. I don't mind being called Americana, I don't mind being called country noir, or independent country is fine, but the words alt.country make me insane.

- Neko Case

You can't just play the same thing, over and over again.

- Neko Case

The Bible tries to make humans not animals the whole time. I think it's a bit of a mistake.

- Neko Case

I tried to have more than one emotion on the record.

- Neko Case

I think my songwriting might be a little more on the darker side maybe.

- Neko Case

I just really dig feeling subservient to nature. It brings me a peace and calm. Kind of like a Faustian thing, I think.

- Neko Case

I grew up with lots of animals and I related more to them than I did to people. I feel a lot of empathy for them.

- Neko Case

I don't feel nervous or fearful when I'm on stage.

- Neko Case

I would be a huge hypocrite if I didn't tell you that at one time in my life I thought the way that you made music was you got on a major label and you got famous.

- Neko Case

Country music is completely punk-rock. It's the original punk-rock.

- Neko Case

All I want to do is sing on other people's records.

- Neko Case

There's just kind of a sweetness about Canadians. Americans are a little more pushy, I mean, in a way that I enjoy - they're basically pushy because of their enthusiasm - we're a lot clumsier than other people.

- Neko Case

I want to get away from the social vampires in Tucson. The people who have no lives of their own and meet me and know who I am and feel entitled to say negative things. I have good friends here, especially in the bands. But a lot of it is just like high school.

- Neko Case

I think I've kind of been mistaken for somebody who's trying to be a spokesperson for animal rights, and the fact is I'm not qualified to be a spokesperson. I am passionate about it, but I'm not trying to make other people do what I do.

- Neko Case

I really wanted to find a piano for the farm house. There were so many free pianos on Craigslist, I thought, 'Let's get as many free pianos as we can and stick them all in the barn.' I got eight in a short period of time, only six of which were tunable, but it's still quite funny.

- Neko Case