The more I abandon ideas of myself as a musician, the better a singer I become.

I'm just kind of lazy and messed up and self-managed - self-mismanaged.

I actually do see rock and roll as pop music. I think the distinction I was making was that I was going out of my way to have a very consistent approach to production, where nothing kind of punctures the reality - or, I guess, the fake reality - of the album and what you're listening to from beginning to end.

I've never had any kind of work ethic. I've never sat down with the intention of writing a song.

I force myself to care about the music end by wrestling with it for years.

Generally, if you could picture a bunch of rock and roll momentum behind a song and it was particularly melodious, maybe the Pornographers would do it. If it was kind of moody and more lyrical, then maybe it would be a Destroyer song. Anything that's really lyrically driven I would keep for Destroyer.

I always start with the lyrics, because starting with the music means the words will be bad.