I'm not trying to be the new anybody.

So I played the acoustic guitar and harmonica and stomped my foot and I think I was right in assuming that Greenwich Village would be the best place to perform my own material and possibly get some attention, move on to making records and all.

I don't cringe when I think of doing old material. A lot of the people have been with me through the years.

I've had an advantage; I've had a sort of open public acceptance in New York that doesn't happen to just anyone trying to make the transition you were talking about.

You don't see a lot of difference between the Gin Blossoms and the Byrds.

I just play, and I'm always trying to write songs.

But I'm able to just keep going, and that's the challenge. It's the next song. And then just enjoying the shows and people who come out to the shows. It's pretty organic, really.