I have all of his albums, some of them autographed, and saw him live several times. He was a thoughtful guy and a top-notch songwriter and performer.
Last April, I read an article in which he was quoted blasting the US while performing in Canada. I took umbrage and sent him an email saying so. Here is his reply:
Kevin, I was sorry to hear of your negative reaction to my "civilized neighbor" remark. It certainly was not my intent to insult you, or anyone else, for that matter. You have been kind enough to take an interest in my songs so you are the last person I would want to offend. Over the last decade and more I have seen a rise in boorish, overly aggressive, deliberately provocative, in short, uncivilized behavior in the US. Most noticeably in politics, but in other areas also. I spend a lot of time on the road and I see it in the way many people drive. My wife is a teacher and she sees it in the way teachers are treated by students and parents. This is what I intended to address. Jokes, by their nature, are over-simplifications. I'll entertain the possibility that my remark was a bit ham-fisted, if you'll entertain the possibility that there may be a grain of truth in it. At any rate, I think it's a conversation worth having. Please let me know what you think. Happy Easter, David
I'm certain he was liberal, as almost all singer-songwriters are, but I appreciated his thoughtful reply. I was tempted to reply that teachers are poorly treated by parents and students because of liberalism run amok, as confirmed by my teacher wife, but decided to let it go and simply thank him for his thoughtful reply.
He will be missed.
What a nice reply from someone whose talent you admired! Imagine what a lout like De Niro would have written.