I grew up in a very literate, very independent household where people spoke their ideas and were very supportive of helping each other find their own way

Theres so many other things to write about than unrequited love.

It's always been hard for me to do without sounding precious or too corny or whatever.

I'm polite. I guess that's the dichotomy within me. I don't like to piss people off just for the sake of pissing them off. I pick my battles.

I grew up around poets and novelists and my dad wrote poems about everything - from a cat sleeping in a window to a car wreck he passed on the highway. I learned not to censor myself: that was one of things I learned in my apprenticeship, my creative-writing apprenticeship with my dad.

As it turns out, now is the moment you've been waiting for

I'd rather play a few nights at the Fillmore than play one night at an arena.