Honestly, I didn't have the patience for biology or history in an academic sense, but I always liked the kind of big questions.

I don't write poetry and then strum some chords and then fit the words on top of the chords.

Every time I make a record, it's kind of like scarification or something. You work 15 hours until you're stupid. You're just kind of all jittery.

I think any songwriter or record, no matter how good it is, can become tedious if it's the same person's point of view. After four tracks, you start to get worn down no matter how good it is. It can be relentlessly good, but it's still going to wear you out.

I didn't have the patience for the research, or anything like that. I just like how it sets the imagination off. It's just an area that's very fertile for great words. Great metaphors, potentially.

It's like you don't know you're making a record unless you're half-killing yourself.

Sometimes the word dictated the melody.