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like search my brain about where it might come from, a lot of the inspiration actually

comes from books. I read a lot. You know, I just love books and I love history. Quite a
few of the recent songs have been taken from, yeah, true history and the kind of stories
that I want to remind myself of and let listeners remind themselves of, because these
kinds of stories are being systematically kind of... deleted from the historical record for
all kinds of crazy reasons. And I think it's important to keep these things in mind. When
you're reading a book like that, and you get that inspiration, does your brain click into,

now this would sound good in this chord progression, or the music, or where does that
come from? That's an interesting, mysterious process, but I'll try to describe it a bit.
Often I'll pick up the guitar. I might have an
idea for a song, just an idea, maybe a title
or a first line. But I'll pick up the guitar and
something will happen where I'll say, oh,
that's interesting, and I'll see if it works
together with that idea. And sometimes,
very quickly, a song is born.

EB: And like I say, it's a mysterious process
because you almost feel like you're being
assisted by a ghostwriter somewhere. But
it's a wonderfully energizing moment when
that happens. You know, there are a lot of
duds. You try to write a song and it doesn't
really work out. And then all of a sudden
along comes one that is just almost served

on a silver platter. Again, I must emphasize
it's a mysterious process that I'm happy to
have been a part of. Absolutely.

FD: Eric, pardon the personal question, but would you consider yourself a religious or
spiritualist as far as a genre?

EB: Well... The whole idea of genres and kind of putting ideas and people's ideas into,
or people's music into a specific place, I have found very challenging and have really

tried to, what can I say, break free of that kind of categorization, but it's a good question.
And I would say, and I understand why you're asking it, you know, I would say that in
the songs that I write, you'll find my core beliefs. You'll find... my world-view, my kind
of cosmology. And that has to do with believing in many of the teachings from all kinds
of, you know, wise people through the ages, you know, whether it's Jesus or Buddha,
you know. So what I'm saying is there's the spirituality in the songs because that's what
I'm interested in, the spiritual side of life as well, as you know, being down here on Earth.

FD: As we all are. Eric, you mentioned, obviously, you know, the current affairs and the

situation in regards to books, obviously, with, you know, people talking about banning
books and this sort of nonsense in current affairs in the 2020’s, as compared to your
growing up in the turbulent 50s and 60s before you left the States, does it leave you
perhaps with a sense of despair for your fellow man, or how do you feel about that,
what's going on in the world at present?