I get nostalgic about having lived in Ames, Iowa, even though being a vegetarian in Iowa is not fun.

My work is more important than I am. I'm just some guy.

I don't really have any position to complain about my job. Yeah, every job has its moments like, "Ah, you know, it's Wednesday." But I'm blessed. I love my work.

The process of touring is always so weird to me. Once you've made the album, that's over, you move along.

The studio's a collaborative environment. I just try to let people bring their own ideas to the songs and see what happens.

While writing is a mystical process, it's also work. If you show up to work five days in a row, nobody's going to pat you on the back - everyone does that. Well, do that with your writing. Just show up. Be there for it. When you get an idea, write it down somewhere and then be a steward of that idea.

Our [former] governor [Pat McCrory] was supposed to be a moderate, but he found himself beholden to people who have much more draconian ideas. I think he assumed this stuff flew under the radar.