There's a lot of bands that get to a certain level, and it just stops. They scrap it. Compare this to, say, The Rolling Stones or The Who, where they just continued on forever and are still playing, or they quit after 20 years.

The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied.

I think what happens is when something becomes successful, then a lot of people take credit for it in such ways that it takes credit away from you.

You know, punk bands now sell with one record - their first or second record - sell 10 times the amount of records than the Ramones did throughout their career with 20-something records. That's why I go over to Johnny Ramone's house and do yard work three times a week, just to absolve some of the guilt.

It seems like a necessary balance to life, being part of the community.

We went from an era when rock 'n' roll meant wearing a bustier as a woman and these spandex things and guys trying to portray someone that wasn't realistic. We are trying to make it seem real... relate to our lives.

Music saved me; I mean, my upbringing was like a hurricane, and music was the tree I held onto.