It's typical of record companies. They sign you because you're unique, and then they want to put you in a mold so they can sell records.
“I think back to the old people I knew when I was growing up, and they always seemed larger than life.”
“So I played the acoustic guitar and harmonica and stomped my foot and I think I was right in assuming that Greenwich Village would be the best place to perform my own material and possibly get some attention, move on to making records and all.”