I've always written stuff based on personal experience, but I've always disguised it by the use of characters.

The key moments in your life are when you realize how exciting music can be, like when you hear Nevermind for the first time. I grew up in the '70s and '80s. I was introduced to hip-hop when it first came out. Hip-hop music will always be my first love. That's why I love playing the drums. Any day of the week, I would rather listen to a hip-hop album than a rock album.

I always put a little bit of restrictions on myself, and I only do it for my creativity. And I do it sometimes because I want the music to stand out a little bit more than many other bands do. Yeah, I sometimes impose rules on my creativity.

I like to get everything done during the early morning hours and the early part of the day.

Once I have something that I think I can work with, then I'll go in and make it on the computer. I'll try to recapture the sound that I had in my head when I was thinking about it. That's usually how I do it.

It's not really a conscious decision to do a quiet album or a noisier album. It's just something that happens, I guess.

If you want to do a movie about aliens coming down to Earth nowadays, you need to do it with a smile.