--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As much as I'd like to think and as much…" description: "\"As much as I'd like to think and as much as people mistakenly think my audience is blue collar people in the heart of America, my audience is basically..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg" --- # As much as I'd like to think and as much as people… ![“As much as I'd like to think and as much as people mistakenly think my audience is blue collar people in the heart of America, my audience is basically, in the States, an NPR audience. I play college towns in the summer because that's who comes to see me.” quote by Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg) > “As much as I'd like to think and as much as people mistakenly think my audience is blue collar people in the heart of America, my audience is basically, in the States, an NPR audience. I play college towns in the summer because that's who comes to see me.” [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges his audience is primarily NPR listeners, not the presumed blue‑collar demographic. **In simple terms:** Audience is mainly NPR listeners, not blue‑collar. Key Takeaway Recognize actual audience demographics. Themes identity media audience Mood reflective self-aware Type media personal When to use this quote - marketing - tour planning - media strategy Key Concepts demographic perception public image Questions to Reflect On - How does audience perception shape content? - Can you broaden appeal without losing core fans? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating broader listeners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [America Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-audience-1298991/) [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Audience Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience-basically-1298992/) [Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basically/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Blue collar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue-collar/) [Collar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collar/) [College](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/college/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Npr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/npr/) [Npr Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/npr-audience-1298990/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-audience/) [Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towns/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) ## Related quotes > [It's interesting, as I said on the last tour in America, the audience actually came out, they had to have been the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/it-s-interesting-as-i-said-on-the-last-tour-in-america-the-audience/) [Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/) > [The Road & Track audience is basically me, you know, the car geeks. But, we have to acknowledge that most people find that, socially,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-harris/the-road-track-audience-is-basically-me-you-know-the-car-geeks-but-we/) [Chris Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-harris/) > [When you set out to really entertain adults as well as kids, your audience is basically anybody who is breathing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/when-you-set-out-to-really-entertain-adults-as-well-as-kids-your/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The audience basically likes complex characters, and bringing out the complexities is the actor's job. The audience doesn't have the script, the actor does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neeraj-kabi/the-audience-basically-likes-complex-characters-and-bringing-out-the/) [Neeraj Kabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neeraj-kabi/) > [“Dreams are ideas where the collar has been removed and the leash has been thrown away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/dreams-are-ideas-where-the-collar-has-been-removed-and-the-leash-has/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“The bonding ceremony is a walk through our peers, a family member or friend usually leads those to be bonded down that path with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/the-bonding-ceremony-is-a-walk-through-our-peers-a-family-member-or/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [When you have a label stuck on you, people tend to believe it. If someone calls you suave and debonair, you only get offered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dance/when-you-have-a-label-stuck-on-you-people-tend-to-believe-it-if/) [Charles Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dance/) > [I did not have a dog with a diamond collar. I was never flashy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-horry/i-did-not-have-a-dog-with-a-diamond-collar-i-was-never-flashy/) [Robert Horry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-horry/) > [There are a lot of irritating aspects about large supermarkets for the wannabe eco-warrior, but the one that gets most of us hottest under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheherazade-goldsmith/there-are-a-lot-of-irritating-aspects-about-large-supermarkets-for/) [Sheherazade Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheherazade-goldsmith/) > [My parents were blue-collar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-acosta/my-parents-were-blue-collar/) [Jim Acosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-acosta/) > [A crime is a crime, regardless of what collar you wear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/a-crime-is-a-crime-regardless-of-what-collar-you-wear/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [Whore House Slogan : She'll Wear a Collar for a Dollar!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/whore-house-slogan-she-ll-wear-a-collar-for-a-dollar/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Fredrick Buechner kind of loosened up my clerical collar, you might say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/fredrick-buechner-kind-of-loosened-up-my-clerical-collar-you-might-say/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [I've got no problem whatsover with collar bars coming back in. I need to look a tiny bit older before I can dress like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-cullum/i-ve-got-no-problem-whatsover-with-collar-bars-coming-back-in-i-need/) [Jamie Cullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-cullum/) > [When I talk about rock n' roll, to me, that goes back to the beginning of the 1950s. Blue suede shoes and sideburns, man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-keys/when-i-talk-about-rock-n-roll-to-me-that-goes-back-to-the-beginning/) [Bobby Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-keys/) ## More by Steve Earle > [When you're really bummed out, the last thing you want to hear is up-tempo and positive. And it lets you know that you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/when-you-re-really-bummed-out-the-last-thing-you-want-to-hear-is-up/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [America's criminal justice system isn't known for rehabilitation. I'm not sure that, as a society, we are even interested in that concept anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/america-s-criminal-justice-system-isn-t-known-for-rehabilitation-i-m/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [I love theater. I go all the time. It's one of the reasons I moved to New York. But I understand that I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-love-theater-i-go-all-the-time-it-s-one-of-the-reasons-i-moved-to/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [You know, I'm not comfortable with people whose politics are static in a democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/you-know-i-m-not-comfortable-with-people-whose-politics-are-static-in/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [I had everything I need to get me killed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-had-everything-i-need-to-get-me-killed/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [Back then, the business depended on bohemians. ... They needed Kristofferson and Roger Miller ..It was the tail end of something...the last Tin Pan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/back-then-the-business-depended-on-bohemians-they-needed/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [I think the singer/songwriter genre is going to be like bluegrass and jazz. You can make a living at it, but it's not part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-think-the-singer-songwriter-genre-is-going-to-be-like-bluegrass-and/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [I've been a serial husband, and I've done it badly every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-ve-been-a-serial-husband-and-i-ve-done-it-badly-every-time/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [Every day on Earth is another chance to get it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/every-day-on-earth-is-another-chance-to-get-it-right/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [The singer-songwriter has always played music that was stylistically rooted in the '30s and the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. But the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/the-singer-songwriter-has-always-played-music-that-was-stylistically/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [Sonnets are guys writing in English, imitating an Italian song form. It was a form definitely sung as often as it was recited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/sonnets-are-guys-writing-in-english-imitating-an-italian-song-form-it/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [When I write something simple I'm always really proud of it. When you write something that simple with that much air in it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/when-i-write-something-simple-i-m-always-really-proud-of-it-when-you/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [My spiritual system is 12-step programs. That's the only one I've ever had. I didn't have one before that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/my-spiritual-system-is-12-step-programs-that-s-the-only-one-i-ve-ever/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [“As he left room 817, Nguyen turned for one final look before he allowed the soldiers to enter and remove the body. Nguyen thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/as-he-left-room-817-nguyen-turned-for-one-final-look-before-he/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [The drama teacher that I had in high school, back in Texas, was the only teacher who didn't kick me out of his class.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/the-drama-teacher-that-i-had-in-high-school-back-in-texas-was-the/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) [Explore all 146 Steve Earle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As much as I'd like to think and as much as people mistakenly think my audience is blue collar people in the heart of America, my audience is basically, in the States, an NPR audience. I play college towns in the summer because that's who comes to see me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steve Earle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much-as-people-mistakenly-think/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much-as-people-mistakenly-think/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/steve-earle-2893_america_as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much_2526030.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As much as I'd like to think and as much as people mistakenly think my audience is blue collar people in the…” — Steve Earle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Steve Earle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As much as I'd like to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much-as-people-mistakenly-think/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/as-much-as-i-d-like-to-think-and-as-much-as-people-mistakenly-think/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```