I always worry that I'm a dilettante: I know something about lots of things but don't have exhaustive knowledge of much.

The reality of having a kid involves day-to-day practicality - not broader philosophical outlooks.

The South actually has a very strong tradition of activism. The civil rights movement came from down here! It was black activists demanding that their voices be heard. People say these are red states. No they're not!

There's no such thing as mental illness. We're all mentally ill and we're all haunted by something, and some people manage to find a way to ride it out so that they don't wind up needing extra help. So I think that "mental illness," as a term, is garbage. Everybody is in various states of needing to transcend something.

I did a lot of music criticism. I don't think much of it was any good. I think I wanted to show off a lot when I was younger. Now I just want people to enjoy the story. If it were possible to publish anonymously, that would be awesome.

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

There are so many ways to respond to music besides feeling like someone's communicating with you. It gives me a charge.