What 3 musicians have had the biggest influence on your songwriting? This can be either in terms of lyrics or the actual music...mostly the latter, though.

Frank Zappa
Queen
King Crimson

In terms of songwriting (lyrics & vocal lines):

- Cole Porter (and other old jazz tunes)
- early Joni Mitchell
- Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies)

...and recently Nick Cave, and Tv on the Radio

Weird. What a cool exercise. Thanks for getting me to do that.
It made me realize that that my musical influences (in terms of singing and writing lyrics & vocal parts) are actually quite different than my "favorite artists".

e.g.
I'm not really that influenced by Bjork, PJ Harvey or Stereolab, even though they are some of my fav artists.

Musically...

Mike Roe
Martin Gore
Derri Daugherty/Steve Hindalong

fugazi
pavement
sonic yutes

Leonard Cohen
Neutral Milk Hotel
Nick Cave

whoever used their ring finger to play the bass note of chords first.

I don't play anything or sing, but I write plenty of lyrics. I'm probably influenced most by John K. Samson, Stuart Murdoch, and Sam Beam.

Mark Knopfler
Neil Young
Waylon Jennings

in general, but there are no absolutes

I've been through many phases with too many influences to name. But for my current style, the biggest influences are probably:

Nick Lowe
Ray Davies
Bob Pollard

honorable mentions to (cheating, I know):
Paul Westerberg
Jay Farrar
Hank Williams

Prepared for American-football, or cheating in your heart?

I can't help it if I'm still in love with his songs.

So, it must be Junior upon whom you pattern some of your verse?

I do detect sarcasm, I hope.

it changes every few years.

starting out, i was heavily influenced by whatever i heard that day. and every few years someone new seemed to kick my ass.

bob dylan for sure.
jeff tweedy, though mining the same well as dylan showed me a different way to do it.
johnny cash taught me about simple chord changes
and rap as a genre helped me be able to freestyle lyrics for hours at a time.

Vanessa Carlton
Dave Matthews
Jason Mraz


Although my friends say they don't hear it.

They claim it's b.s. like

Paul McCartney
Nick Drake
Neil Finn

WTF?!

Hmm.

I'd like to say:

Matt & Bubba Kadane (Bedhead, New Year)
- esp. the music, but lyrics, too

Charles Bissell & Kevin Whelan (Wrens)
- more the music, but lyrics, too

Stuart Murdoch
- def. the lyrics

Guy Picciotto (the "not Ian" guy in Fugazi)
- esp. the lyrics, but music, too

Increasingly: Wayne Coyne & Steven Drozd

I'm a musician, but I'm not much of a songwriter; I'm more of a wanker.

Bob Pollard is definitely one of them. Have to think about the others.

nina nastasia
kathryn williams
mike doughty