As anthropomorphic and surreal people have said my early writing was, to me it was really stock and almost banal in the sense that it was just description, the poetry of comparing: "Your feet are like A, and your eyes like B."

The best New York in the world is driving down the [Pacific Coast Highway] listening to the Velvet Underground. That's the best time I've ever been to New York.

You have to collaborate with the moment and the environment. It kind of was magnified by the house being a studio.

Within America, there are extremely different place. I'm not saying it's one homogenous color. It's obviously an incredible place. There's no other place like it, and it's incredibly diverse.

I've always wanted to write a song that goes, "I love you" and a book that goes, "Something happened." Something very direct.

"I meditate." That's like saying "I eat." Think of all the food there is! And there are almost as many varieties of mediation.

Having friends who are records nerds - that's the best thing you can do, have a record-geek friend to take you far.