With writing music, as a general rule I'm looking for something that surprises me, that doesn't fall within what's easy for me.

I have no idea what the hell is going on in the world, in my life, in what anything means, or what I'm supposed to do.

The man believes the woman's got the hidden secret. That's a rare thing. You meet lots of people, and they're all deserved of love, of course, but romantic love involves some kind of supplement: she has the secret. That's what's desired.

There's really not much in life that's as violent or traumatic as an encounter with somebody who really surprises you and opens up that strange dynamic that's involved in romantic love.

I am definitely interested in soundtracks that one might associate with fantasy or sci-fi - they tend to be rich with musical ideas.

In our culture, the Oedipal drama succeeds in making us assume either a male or female sexual position. Certainly this is an ancient construct that's rapidly coming apart.

It seems to me that the best work I've done - and maybe this is something other people can identify with - was because it was an end in itself. It was something other than making ends meet, it was an escape from all that.