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.

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

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.

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

I see myself as the buffer between the band and the record company.

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.

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