Stage presence is not something I spend a whole lot of time thinking about. On the one hand, I do, because I have, like, favorite front-people and I know what's excited me to see in a band. But I can't be David Yow [Jesus Lizard frontman] and still play guitar.

You just realize that you have to be committed to this thing in this kind of world that we're in the more your support group dwindles and you start seeing your peers buying houses and getting corporate jobs. So that can be discouraging.

To say someone is a producer... it's kind of a slippery term.

For most of the projects I've worked on, I've been entrusted with some degree of musical responsibility, even if it's just like coaching for vocals and stuff.

When I run across something that feels like a real eye-opener, it's gonna have an influence on me forever.

Who's got the most heartbreaking voice? I don't know. Tough question.

The fact of picking up an instrument and writing a song and expressing yourself publicly has a powerful political dimension.