Good things never last, bad things never die.

I was writing poetry, and the Mountain Goats was an outgrowth of that.

At my high school, there were always kids carrying acoustic guitars around, which is why I named my band the Mountain Goats. I didn't want to seem like one of those guys who brought his guitar to the party whether you asked him to or not.

If you had too many elk, deer and mountain goats in a given unit, they eat the vegetation and they would actually destroy their own habitat if we allowed them to grow without check.

To me, everything is always new. People involved in my personal life make fun of me a lot for not being jaded.

Most of my interests in terms of writing are dark, so it's discordant how much I try to lock into the vibe of wherever I'm at. Inhabiting the life of the imagination is the nature of survival strategy - you build yourself little worlds to enjoy.