Chris Stapleton and Mike Campbell Discuss Songwriting, Creative Inspiration and More

Chris Stapleton sits down with one of his musical heroes – Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell – for an in-depth conversation featuring music on SiriusXM’s Chris Stapleton Radio (Ch. 63).

During the interview, the two artists discuss songwriting, creative inspiration, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, playing guitar, life, and more. Listen to the premiere of the episode on Chris Stapleton Radio on Friday, September 27, at 6pm ET, with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend. The full episode is also available now on the SiriusXM app here.

Additionally, check out clips from the interview now below.

Chris Stapleton and Mike Campbell on Writing Down Ideas

Chris Stapleton: I used to not write things down. I used to think if it was good enough, I was gonna remember it and I don’t believe that anymore.

Mike Campbell: Roy Orbison said the exact same thing. I asked him once, “When you’re writing, do you put him down on a cassette or something?” He says, “No, I figure if I can’t remember it, no one else would have either.”

Chris Stapleton: Yeah, I used to think that for…

Mike Campbell: I don’t really agree with that because I found little sketches that I’m glad I put down. But it’s a good line.

Chris Stapleton: Well I live that for three or four years when I was figuring out how to do it. I abandoned it really quick because I knew that there were some things that I had his ideas that I thought were good, but I lost that way.

Mike Campbell: But there’s a lesson there that you need to really try and grab it when you got it and not let it get away and just go. ’Cause it will, it’ll just disappear. Like if you wake up in the morning, I do a lot of times and I’ll be in that dream state and I’ll have an idea and I’ll go, “OK, I’m gonna do that in a minute.” I’ll go to the bathroom, whatever, and come back. “Where did it go?” The dream just poof, it’s gone.

Chris Stapleton and Mike Campbell on Waiting for Inspiration

Mike Campbell: My antenna is open all the time. I could be out driving and when I get home, I gotta go in there right away and put this down before I forget it. But I don’t clock in and wait for it to come. It comes when it comes.

Chris Stapleton: Some people do the opposite thing. They’re like, I’m gonna sit here and go…

Mike Campbell:  People are different. I can’t do that. I’m not gonna sit there if I don’t feel it. But when I feel it, you can’t stop me. I’m gonna get in there and wrestle it to the ground until I get it right.

Chris Stapleton: Well, the first time that we ever wrote you talked about putting the antenna up in the air and this is the second time that I’ve heard you use that metaphor. And I’ve kinda stolen that from you too. I like the thought of that. There’s a river of stuff floating around.

Mike Campbell: And the punchline to that story is – I had read that somewhere. I didn’t come up with that – but there’s an astral plane of creativity and the writers have their antennas up and every now and then it’s like a river you poke through and you catch a fish. And I read that somewhere and somebody said, “Yeah, that’s cool, but nobody ever caught any fish down the river from Bob Dylan.”