I guess a lot of bands play around until they come up with something they like.

It's very heartening to see people who I used to do music with still doing it.

It's a great privilege to be able to play that much. When you play a lot, you can be really detail-oriented.

My projects are just side effects of what I obsess over, what I chat about, what random things pop into my head, what I dream at night.

I feel vulnerable when my ego is threatened - if I get jealous of another band's good time slot at a big festival, if I'm about to get clobbered in a political debate, if I'm trying to impress someone I have a crush on. It's the opposite of openness, letting go, allowing deep feelings to express themselves. For me, that comes from playing music and from kissing.

I'm not unswayed by the opinions of others. I actually really value that, the idea that you can feel things the way somebody else might feel them is a really big part of doing music for me.

What's great about going on tour is that it immediately unburdens me of those self-centered misconceptions. Because suddenly, with these songs you've been obsessed with for months, you're playing them for hundreds of people.