Not everybody relates to pain, but if you can watch other people playacting it, you can absorb some of that vibe. It's like watching horror movies - you want to have the experience, but in a safe environment.

If my songs are being listened to between any other songs, that is awesome, and I'm glad people are getting something out of them.

People don't tend to notice, but in the past 10 years especially there's been a lot of growth in how I write songs and what goes into them. You can listen to Mountain Goats from 1991 to 2007 and never hear a seventh chord. In 2007 or 2008, I started working on the piano to grow as a songwriter. I started throwing major sevens in and sixes and more interesting stuff.

I think taking too long to work on a record you sort of lose some of the feeling, so I write as fast as I can; it's just this manic phase where I'm by myself and or on tour and I write and I write. And I send them to the guys, and we start planning our studio ventures.

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

I think listening to a lot of Lou Reed when I was a teenager is what encouraged me to just sing however felt good to me.

I enjoy hearing people who are good at their instruments and who've found a distinctive voice.