I'm 33 and in my "Jesus year," and I want it all right now. I want a perfect body. I want to have a perfect love affair. I want every member of my family to be healthy and happy. And I want the world to save itself and for America to realize that it has to give up its idea of being an empire. Wait until I hit 40; then it'll all come crumbling down.

When it comes to sitting down and composing, there is no hesitation, no concern, no critics breathing fire down my neck. For me, writing a song is the purest part of all. No one can mess with that.

Once you've fallen from classical virtue, won't have a soul for to wake up and hold you.

Looking back, one of the things I love most about my mom was that she never, ever relented. She stuck to her guns right up until the end. She wasn't abusive, but she was never that thrilled that I was gay.

To me, songs come of their own volition - and with an open-ended philosophy.

I think everybody identified at a pretty young age that I was fairly entranced with myself. And that I had to be tempered.

Unless I have my aunt or my boyfriend to take care of me, I'm a little pathetic.