When you get older, you're bothered, or inspired, by other things in life than a girl breaking up with you. Things get heavier as you get older.

Throughout my life, there's just periods when I write and periods when I don't. I don't feel like anything's really blocked. "Writer's block" sounds so dramatic and worrisome, and I don't worry about it. I know deep down that I'm a writer, and it's just a matter of time until it comes back, and when it does, it'll be good like it's always been.

I wanted to give my first instincts a chance without shooting them down immediately, which I sometimes do.

You really think all of those indie music dorks go to SXSW every year to check out music? They go there to wear their laminates and act important and try to get laid.

I'm always moving forward creatively and don't like stalling, trying to find the perfect snare drum sound.

I'm a boxing junkie, a serial-killer junkie, and a classical guitar junkie. All of these guys are great, poetic references.

Trying to cope with the balance between home life and road life has been a theme in my music since early Red House Painters records.