You definitely get more of a band feel to a song if you've been playing a song live a bunch.

I had some really great experiences doing overdubs.

It's hard being the guy that brings in a song, because you're very, you know, it can be something that you get too sensitive about.

If I was talking about making a song special, I probably meant getting the lyrics and arrangement together, or getting some instrument that's going to tie the whole thing together. That can take months, or it can happen really fast.

Sometimes it's hard to hear criticism, or "maybe let's try a different way." People's feelings get hurt.

I'm not the underdog, but - Well actually, I guess I've been the underdog. To me, it always felt like I was talking to "the big guy," you know, the big guy in the government, and trying to tell him about some things he didn't seem to be aware of. I just think that's a pretty arrogant group of liars we've got up there, and they don't really consider the abilities of their opponents.

My problem was never with the major label, it was with the guy who we put our trust in and then wouldn't take my phone calls once we'd signed to a major label, who then quit.