I still love making records, and I'm able to do it because I own my own studio, and I try to do it as much as possible.
When bands got really big and sold a lot of records back in the day and did really well on the road, everyone developed a certain ego. And there's a certain entitlement that comes with that. And it stops people from communicating the way you used to communicate when you were in a band together and it was all for one, one for all.
I listened to a lot of Bob Dylan songs to see how he works. I've gotten into writing story-songs.
It seems like everyone's got an agenda, and the agenda seems to be selling magazines or air time with sensational stories.
People read things on Google, and they have these perceptions, these misconceived perceptions of who you are. At times that hurts, because they really don't know who I am.
Processed pig is white trash meat. Some people call it Spam.
To be appreciated by a whole 'nother generation of fans, all of a sudden discovering you, it's kind of what I did with the classic bands I love - the ones that influenced me.
You know, you've got to be careful with how you educate your kids in rock'n'roll fashion.
As horrible as jail was, there were some first-rate guys in there.
It's incredibly stressful when the person you love is having a child.
I prefer a three-piece suit myself. Very sixties rock and roll. But they're not too quirky. Businessmen could wear them.
Who you are as a performer is one thing, but when you're making records, you're dealing with musicians' tastes, their goals, their wants, their needs, everyone's individual pride.
When people ask me if I have a hobby, a lot of times my answer is that I like to surf in warm water. I like to ski, if I have the opportunity. But really, I like to go to my studio and write music that I want to write, where there's no pressure to come up with a hit single.
Bowie's obviously my biggest influence.
I can't read sheet music, I have to just listen to it, and then just go for it.
I sang in choir as a kid.
I had a period in my life in the '90s where I was definitely young, dumb, and full of even more dumb.
To be a great band it's like you have that telepathy. You know when the bass player's in back of you without even looking. You know when your guitar player's coming up to you to lean up to you and sing into your microphone. You just know these things. You feel it. You feel the energy of it.
Writing the songs and producing the songs and arranging them and recording them is your canvas and your palette and your brush.
I want a performance style that's more cerebral and emotional than physical. I want to be a creative artist, not a whirling dervish.
