George Strait

I always enjoy it when I walk on stage. There were some times when I was working so much in the '80s, and I felt really burnt-out. But I'd be up there singing and not be 10,000 million miles away, you know, just opening my mouth and the words coming out.

I loved making Pure Country. It was a great learning experience for me, seeing another part of the entertainment industry.

I used to do a lot of interviews in the early '80s, when my career started, but it came to a point when I decided I didn't want to talk anymore, and people kind of understood that and left me alone.

This is the kind of problem you want to have! Country radio has been great to me my whole career. I can't thank those folks enough.

I just continue to look for different material, great material, as good as I can find, and try to go in there and do as good a job as I can do in making it a record. That's all you can expect. That's all that you can do.

I've been blessed with the ability to sing, and that has taken me so many places I never would have gone otherwise.

I remember that in '81, country radio was pretty pop, and everybody wanted a crossover record - and all of a sudden it came back to traditional. Now it's kind of swung the other way a little bit, but it always comes back.

You've got to keep the stage world and your real world separated or you're headed for trouble.

I don't mind traveling that much when I can go somewhere and stay there for a while, but touring is different. You rarely see anything. You get there early in the morning and you're resting all day, and you go in and do a sound check, and you do the show, and then bam you're gone.

I'm always looking for great songs, and not being much of a songwriter, I depend on great songwriters to send them to me. I go through tons of stuff, and sometimes you just find material that kind of fits and becomes something special.

I've always liked Frank Sinata and Big Band music.

Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys are simply the best band that ever was.