I grew up in the suburbs and basically associate the suburbs with cultural death.

I believe that if the Tribune company ever tries to close down Wrigley Field that you will have a protest from every corner of the globe.

My earliest memory is of feeling different. My parents told me that I wasn't like other children.

Actually, I was having dinner with Michael [Stipe, of R.E.M.] when our second album went platinum, which up until that point was the highest success we'd ever had. And he turned to me during dinner and said, 'Welcome to the deep waters, kid.' I'll never forget that.

As a healthy person, my breakfasts are very bland and boring. Think kind of a white pasty gruel. Or there can be an occasional banana over the top.

The mythology in rock n' roll is that I'm a bit of a loose cannon. Yet I've produced more music than anybody in my generation. So how much of a loose cannon am I? But the general public believes that I'm a loose cannon, so let them believe it. I'm not going to correct them.

The point is to let the music be itself. If it doesn't mean anything to you, then it's bullsh*t.