I think one big reason why Sweden might have a good reputation around the world is that if you look at Norway or Denmark or Finland, any of the Scandinavian countries, they all seem less interested in being a part of the larger world, where Sweden has always tried to reach out, whether it's with Volvos, Saabs, H&Ms, music, clothes.
Somebody once said that the ideal size of a country for democracy to work is around 10 million people - and that kind of makes sense if you think of it in very crude terms. In a smaller country, I guess it's easier to maintain some kind of common ground.I do think the Swedish system of government works really well. Obviously, everything doesn't work perfectly, but I like the principle of it.
Almost all the United Commonwealth presidents have been female. It has been argued that women are less aggressive, more maternal, and thus more focused on the well-being of the country's people. Less focused on politics or power.
My movies have always done pretty well in the UK - 'The Matrix' films did very well in this country and I do like the crews here and the people we're working with here.
We [the United States] are not every other country. And models that work elsewhere may not have the same impact here.
People tell us the countries that we'll have the most difficulty with are France and Japan. They say, 'Nothing you do in the rest of the world will work for us.' But that's changing. The differences are narrowing.
[Having bigger budget] allowed me to be a full-time filmmaker for a couple months and not have to have a day job and be balancing a bunch of other stuff. It allowed me to bring in all these people from different parts of the country. It allows me to have an actual food budget, where we could eat healthy for the month we were shooting. It makes all the difference in the world.
I consider myself a Chicagoan. I came here to study at the Art Institute in 1951 when I was 18 years old, and I've been here ever since. I still think Chicago is the best city in the country.
I was always fascinated by politics, and I did not like the direction the country was going under Bill Clinton.
It's not necessarily a brave thing, people talk about what they think about. There's people out there who love to talk about politics or where they think the countries headed. I don't talk about that I talk about...things that are a little trippier.
Sometimes faggot is the right word. There's a trend in this country to avoid words: "We can't say that one anymore it's offensive."
I love coming to D.C. I think it's a very unusual city. It's so fascinating that it's this weird place that everything thinks of as the capital of the country, there is so much international business, political stuff that is connected to that part of the country that it has a very charred atmosphere.
I would have fought in WW2, so I wasn't a pacifist in the broader sense. I prefer to be a pacifist, but I think there are exceptions and times to defend yourself or your country, but that war wasn't one of them.
It's probably listening to country music that got me to start playing a lot cleaner, not as distorted.
The really pop country stuff can sound a little bland because they put in strings and horns and all of that.
There are guys in country music who are wizards on the guitar. If you're a country fan, you're used to it. But as a rock guitar player, you listen.
I would never do anything that makes the perception of country music worse.
I think it's a natural fit, major league baseball and country music.
The risks are 'How country can you go?' rather than 'How rock can you take it?'
The biggest question I have is if you're a rock singer or a rock 'n' roll band, or if you're a pop singer if you've made your way in another genre of music and now you want to make a country record, why? That's my question. Why?
I can't sing anything other than country!
The passion for doing music, the passion that I have for going out and playing it live - my love for country music is back.
My previous visits to Australia created fantastic memories, so I'm definitely looking forward to another visit. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I think every person in the entire country is nice. Seriously, I haven't seen or heard of a mean person yet. And they love country music.
It's always a pleasure to perform for people who love country music. And Australians definitely fall into that category. Each time I go back, I learn something new about the country, and I get to see some of the most beautiful places on the planet.
I'm a traditional country singer and we're always trying to make that a fresh and modern sound. That's always going to be the challenge with me.
