It was shocking to see Nirvana play, because it was like, "Here's this little guy with a monster-guitar sound." And it was heavier than Black Sabbath. That was shocking.

I'd reached a point where there was a direct conflict between what I was trying to be and who I really was.

If I have resistance to something, it means there's something wrong. The resistance to me is a sign of fear.

I created a paradigm by which I could succeed, and up until recently it was the only way I could do it. I could not take the brunt of standing in the light of my own work. There was a Faustian bargain I could not make. I could have you mock me for wearing funny clothes that I could deal with. But I couldn't deal with actually standing in the light of my own musical power. That's the difference now. It's like, okay, no more of that, you're done.

I never seemed to fit in. But it made me try to strive for things ten times harder.

I like my home and I like the nature.

I never wanted to leave the Smashing Pumpkins. That was never the plan.