I've composed all my life and kept things, and even developed things I've done in college into something now.

Money and fame are very inconvenient and very problematic.

I try to put what's evocative in the music to me, I try and put that out there in terms of titles and imagery, or implication towards the listener.

My motives at a young age were, "I want to be rich and famous".

All of your experience comes into play when you're composing.

When I was in eighth grade said sit in at a graduation party and I played 'Boys' by The Beatles and fifty people were standing around with their mouths open. And you kind of get the hint, well maybe I should do this because I'm not very good at sports, I'm not that popular, I'm not very smart, and I'm not very good looking, but when I played the drums, everybody liked it.

From the time I started playing solo drums, doing clinics and stuff, you know I think one of the largest selling clinics I ever did was in Chicago.