Indie world won't have me, and mainstream world treats me like an alien, but here I am still floating between these two worlds.

The closer I get back to being who I really am, the stronger the music gets.

I started thinking that if post modernism is about people opening up all their skeletons, I'm going the other way. I don't want anyone knowing anything about me anymore.

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.

Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength to its maximum effectiveness.

The difficulty, if you're in the world - and this is for anybody - is the eventual disappointment that comes with having to meet other versions of reality. Imposed systems that ask you to compromise or sacrifice things which you consider holy or sacred.

To be able to put your arms around 24 years of music, it's really fun.