I've become increasingly confidant in following intuitions ahead of thoughts as I produce more records.

What's nice about being a producer is you get to roll the dice more often, and you get to be involved with lots of different kinds of music.

Most bands have a sound that they're already identified with, so for the producer it becomes a process of helping them find their muse in the studio to make a record that will not only satisfy them artistically, but will also do something in the marketplace.

I had previously been in the band the Modern Lovers with Jonathan Richman.

Some artists want a producer to be a kind of svengali - someone who actually creates a sound for them.

I think my voice worked out fine, but it was a lot of work for me. And I was very self-conscious about it. I was a bit self-conscious about writing lyrics too.

Normally when I work with bands I'm trying to refine and improve what's already there.