I wanted to challenge myself and move into something new. I felt that using the name Swans and the sonic attitude that that engenders was what I needed to move forward musically, and it's led to lots of new things.

You find ways to push yourself into the sound through repetition. It doesn't stay the same. It morphs constantly.

You make your work and you can't ask for approval when you're doing it. Otherwise, it's going to be untruthful in some way.

I never wrote poetry, just prose. I don't really consider songwriting a form of poetry either. The words are important, of course, but they're dependent on the music.

I'm pretty confident that people are going to come along for the ride. If they don't, tough.

It wouldn't interest me to try to sound like Cop or something. It would be silly and soul-crushing.

I have my own record company. I have to answer to God, basically. I'm not young, so I want to make the best possible work I can before I exit.