You can't help hearing things that are popular when you're young and impressionable.

I feel that's important that I have some place to go that isn't on the cover of a magazine. I signed up to make music.

I don't really believe in the use of drum machines live.

I think Paris Hilton is really our generation's Marilyn Monroe. She's the image of the youth today. There's a real fascination with Paris, ranging on the obsessive. I'm repulsed by her, but because of her notoriety, she has access to an audience.

When you grow up, you're told that rock 'n' roll is the only authentic way to express yourself. Live instrumentation, singer, live drums. You're told that's the best medium to communicate.

I never understood the low art/high art distinction.

The live experience and the recorded experience are totally different. When you're recording an album, you won't be able to immerse people in sound. When you play live, you want to grab people on the visceral level. They're completely different.