At 13 years old, I realized I could start my own band. I could write my own song, I could record my own record. I could start my own label. I could release my own record. I could book my own shows. I could write and publish my own fanzine. I could silk-screen my own T-shirt. I could do this all myself.

I never went to rock concerts when I was a kid. I didn't see any rock & roll bands.

The late '60s and the '70s, a lot of this really beautiful equipment was being made and installed into studios around the world and the Neve boards were considered like the Cadillacs of recording consoles. They're these really big, behemoth-looking recording desks; they kind of look like they're from the Enterprise in Star Trek or something like that. They're like a grayish color, sort of like an old Army tank with lots of knobs, and to any studio geek or gear enthusiast it's like the coolest toy in the world.

When you're recording to tape, you usually just settle for what you have. There's not a lot of options to manipulate the performance.

It's funny; recently I've started to notice people's impersonations of me, and it's basically like a hyperactive child.

I mean, I never liked being told what to do. It's one of the reasons I dropped out of school.

Through Kurt I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that's stripped down.