Ask Josh!

[John Paul]

Thank you so much for the honest words and thank you for your time, Josh! You're a real inspiration. You changed my way of thinking about music when I heard yours!
Cheers!! Thanks for the advice
I will keep that in mind when I go into the studio soon!!

Thank you!!

[Íde]

Hello! Just wanted to add a thank-you for this beautiful book. I couldn't put it down, and made my family listen to bits out loud. My question was to ask whether a new book might be in the works?! Soon?! This is a book I will revisit just like the music. I've been a fan since the you supported The Frames one night in the Marquee in Cork! And look forward to your Iveagh Garden gig this summer. Where even the seagulls are fans. :)

[Kathryn]

Big fan! I bought The Animal Years on a whim just after it came out and I have loved your music since! I suppose I don't have a particularly interesting question, just wanted to ask if you would be opposed to someone getting a tattoo of your lyrics? I'm planning on getting "Pretend the dove from above is a dragon and your feet are on fire" on my foot sometime this year and I hope you don't mind!
Anyway, thank you for your music and your writing and stories, they mean a lot to me.

~Kathryn

[Daragh]

Hey Josh, looking to write a song to a loved one, but can't sing, play an instrument nor spell corectly, any pointers of where to start?
Daragh

[Kathryn]

Classic question for you, sir: You are stuck on an island due to unforeseen circumstances. Which five albums would want to have with you in case there is no hope for rescue? And if you had to choose one person (dead or alive, actual or fictional) to be stuck on said island with you, who would it be?

[Molly]

Hi Josh:

The new album is absolutely fantastic! Thank you for sharing your songs with us- they convey a real honesty and grace. In reading and listening to many of the interviews you’ve done lately, I’ve been very inspired by your outlook in the face of the challenges life has thrown your way.

At some point in the future could you ever picture yourself writing a book of memoirs?

Molly

[Muirgheal Claire]

Josh,
I have been listening to your music since the Animal years and have never found your equal lyrically. I've heard various renditions of your songs throughout the years from my brothers and father,singing them around the house, they're so beautiful and familiar to us all now. So thank you for that. I've always wondered who Kathleen was, or if she even existed beyond your imagination? It's the song I always come back to and it never fails to make me smile, even though there's something so heartbreaking about it..

[Dan]

Josh,

I've been fortunate enough to meet you a couple of times, and you've always been extraordinarily generous with your time and attention. We've also chatted a couple of times over Twitter, which is genuinely great. Thank you for being so genuinely great to your fans. Also, thank you for supplying the tune for my wife and my first dance as a married couple, your demo of "Lantern," which took on a new meaning the week of our wedding (in Staten Island the weekend following Sandy).

I was wondering what your writer's desk area is like. What are your essentials for writing (what do you need/prefer around you), and do you find that changes when you're writing songs as opposed to a book?

Also, what are some music that you're listening to right now that you'd recommend to us - say, five newly-essential tracks?

[Garrett]

Josh,

I just wanted to apologize for taking a picture of you at a concert in Nashville, not knowing that my flash was on full blast. I'm pretty sure I temporarily blinded you, and I've felt bad about it ever since. I'm really sorry about that. "The Beast in Its Tracks" is a great record, man. Thanks for doing what you do. Keep up the good work and see you in St. Louis in April!

Best,

Garrett

[Hope]

Hi Josh!

Just like everyone else here, I really do love your work, and you seem like a great guy, and that's a really encouraging vibe to take away from anyone, but especially someone you really respect as a favorite musician and writer.

I was wondering what you thought the most important attribute to have in being a decent person was? And also, what qualities do you look for in close friends?

Hope all is well for you! Looking forward to seeing you in St. Louis soon enough.

Hope