No one really listens to the drums, I don't think. They're there, but it's not a conscious thing to listen to. Everyone listens to the vocals, of course, and the words.

Talking about music and talking about drums brings me back to my beginning and the simplicity, and the excitement about trying to play something and see if it works for your band.

To play the drums, you have to spread your legs and use your arms. It's a very physical instrument to play. It's not feminine.

For a person that's on tour, the environment is difficult. I don't want to come off sounding like, "Oh, it's so hard!," but it gets tough, after awhile. You need to take care of yourself. You need to sleep and you need to eat. Those things are hard to keep on any kind of routine.

The drums are what drives the whole thing. It's the backbone of the song.

You don't really think that things will ever get better, but they do. People always ask me, "What would you say to gay teen youth that are suicidal, or someone who is addicted right now?," and it's hard to say with words that things will change, but they do.

For people that are in recovery, you really need to stick by your boundaries. It's hard because you're sharing this space and this experience with other people who might not need to do those things for themselves.