I'm the guy who loves being in the supporting cast.

When I look back, I don't remember the best of the best. I don't remember arena shows with 20,000 people. I remember funky little bar gigs where nobody shows up. The weirdest of the weird are what you retain.

Music is like having a conversation. All musicians inspire each other, and they're all geared to play something that matters.

Even when I'm touring, I feel like a sideman ... everybody's working together. We get to play longer solos; it's not just "Here's the record! Thank you for coming Goodnight" ... it has always had a "band" feel instead of being a singer and his backup band.

Whether I'm making my own record, or playing a guitar part, I want what I do to have an impact.

It is not fun singing about losing somebody like that, but at the same time it was easy to write because the memories were so real and vivid and so much a part of who I am.

It really does take a lot of time to make records, to be in the studio and do all that stuff.