Billy Joe Shaver – HuffPost 8.28.14

Mike Ragogna: Billy Joe, what advice do you have for new artists?

Billy Joe Shaver: The main thing is to make up your mind. If you’re going to do it, do it, and if you’re just going to halfway do it don’t even try. This is a very demanding thing. I stay simple, I didn’t get a whole lot of education, so most of it’s just coming from what I gathered up. If you stay honest we’ve all got in common that we’re all different. If you stay real deadly honest and write about some very interesting things then you’ll be a good one. A lot of people just don’t like to get honest but it’s the cheapest psychiatrist there is. I think that’s the way to look at it.

MR: That’s a great line, Billy Joe.

BJS: I still need one, too.

MR: [laughs] We all do. Sometimes a country hit sounds like pop, sometimes it sounds like mountain music, sometimes it’s Americana. Doesn’t it seem like the genre of country keeps getting bigger and differently defined?

BJS: Yeah, I’m glad.

MR: So considering that, what would you classify your music as?

BJS: Heinz 57, I guess.