When I was a kid, I felt like I could do anything and play anything. I just felt super-confident. And then, once I started to play music professionally, maybe it's from being from a small town, but you grow up and then you're suddenly a big fish in a small pond, and I realized that there were a billion other drummers out there that could play as good as you or better, and everybody wants that job.

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.

Nowadays, there's a lot more that comes before music, that I need to take care of before I can sit down and play, and be a contributing member of a band or society. I have to take care of myself and my recovery, and then my family, and then my music.

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.

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

It's uncomfortable, definitely, but it's also really, really great to talk drums with kids and hear them get excited about music and talk about listening to the drums.

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.