The way I take in the world is by seeing it; that is very much evident in the songs that I write.

I've got some words of wisdom.

My records are basically a litany of complaints against the world, and I'm quite like that in real life as well.

I have to be able to see the thing that's going on that I'm writing about, or else it just doesn't make any sense to me.

I'm always sort of looking for projects that I can sort of put out into the world, into the public sphere, and to somehow cause an effect. I want to be able to create projects that sort of are going to make people think and think in this sort of magical, sort of fantastical way.

The secret to longevity in the music business is to change, and to be able to change. [...] An actor has to assume other people's identities. A rock star doesn't need to do that. [...] But change is important.

I'm not saying this in a condescending kind of way, but it's quite simple: The making of America was a heroic thing. Australia has a much murkier, much more complex view of its history. It's just full of all these open wounds we don't really know what to do with.