I like just having that separation between my music life and my personal life.

I know plenty of hyper-intelligent metal people, but at the same time, there's this dumbass, hardheaded, macho attitude associated with it. For younger people, it's like a succubus.

I think it's safe to say that 50% of the record buying metal community is people between the ages of 16 and 25 - people still in their teenage-angsty, early young-adult years.

My priorities now a a musician are so different now than they were as a kid. Everyone wants to be a rock star, and I wanted that too; I wanted to be on magazines and be running around the world and having all the fun.

We live with the things that we do to ourselves and others in doing what we've done to ourselves.

Some people are really into being music-minded and knowing all their scales and how to read music and speak the language.

It's been nice to have a band and people I'm close to that I can get that understanding from and help me realize what I want to do in my life as a musician.