We're constantly dealing with old problems under the circumstance of new variables, so just things like greed and fear and anger and inequality are issues that humanity has constantly dealt with. The parameters and the variables change but these are old things. And discussing those things is slightly more timeless rather than focusing on one tiny thing.

When you ask my three year old if my iPhone is too complicated, it's not. It's all relative.

To say, "It used to be better," nobody can say, "Well, no it wasn't." It's like telling a story that is self-aggrandizing about someone who has passed away, when they can't tell the other side of the story.

If I write about something that I've experienced and somebody goes, "Oh my God, I feel the exact same way," then both of us are connected, and when you feel connected to people, you feel understood. You feel a sense of purpose.

I don't believe in the myth of the "self made man". Nobody gets through alone.

I think that's why art prevails: because it helps people in a fairly intangible, magical way feel more connected to each other.

If you make everything really on the nose so everyone knows exactly what you're talking about, it's often not as strong.