"Be nice to your parents." When they made the decision to have a child, whether it was planned or not, they were changing their entire lives to do the best they could for this new human being. A lot of young people, we don't understand that.

The studio and road both have their charms. The studio allows me to be a mad scientist and the tour lets me feel like James Bond.

I love getting a smile out of my girlfriend - that makes me feel like I'm seen, or heard.

I struggle sometimes superficially with my management or with my own career about how much time I spend traveling or giving myself away to promote my music or myself when I'd rather be gardening or surfing or being at home with my loved ones. And everyone struggles with that; everyone struggles with having to go to work. And I struggle with how humankind ended up this way.

My touring isn't about collecting souvenirs and always being on the go. My souvenirs are writing in my journal and creating new music, because that fits easily into my backpack when I'm travelling around the world. It's something that I can share later with fans or with future family members.

I was a horrible student! It just sort of evolved as I started playing. I guess I became a master of it when I declared myself a wordsmith or a... word-play guy. As soon as I declared it and started that affirmation, I just became it.

New York City has the most beautiful women.