I've never been a big soloist; I just put in what needs to be there. I'm more of a rhythm player who plays lead - or tries to play lead.

That's always been a dream for me, to be able to collaborate and make music with the people that inspired you to make music.

One thing that you hope for when you want to be a musician is that you have that recognizable sound.

There's not a word that describes us. We’re not alternative, metal or grunge - we’re not any of that. We’re just what we are.

Playing for someone else's crowd is always difficult for any band.

I'm going to keep thinking about topping myself every time. I can say very confidently that Alice In Chains have done that on every record. It surprises me. I don't go in there expecting that, but I do go in there hoping for it.

In '98, I locked myself in my house, went out of my mind and wrote 25 songs. I rarely bathed during that period of writing; I sent out for food, I didn't really venture out of my house in three or four months. It was a hell of an experience. The album is an overview of birth to now.