I'm like a bad musical cliche because I bring my guitar on the road and try to write songs in hotel rooms.

You can sit down with Reason or Ableton and literally in a couple of hours make a very good-sounding record. But then a lot of people become contented with that, rather than pushing themselves to making something that sounds great.

I think a lot of self-importance is a product of fear. And fear, living in sort of an un-self-examined fear-based life, tends to lead to narcissism and self-importance.

What sounds good on the radio is really loud kick drums and loud snare drums, when everything's bombastic and in your face. It's the equivalent of a houseguest who screams all the time.

When I was very young, I played in a punk-rock band, but I also studied music theory and classical music.

Personally I find the democratic chaos of the Internet fascinating, and for the most part really benign.

What I love about making albums in the 21st century is that so few people buy albums! I can make an album without any commercial concerns whatsoever.