You have a kid, and it's like, 'He's gotta go to college! Gotta have some clothes!'

Some places you play in America, it's like 'On the Waterfront.'

There are some things that I write that I know are personal in a way, or the gag is so obscure that it's just for me, and there's other things that could basically be for anybody or be anything, at least until the lyrics start to get written.

What gets people into trouble with records now is that they want to build something up without substantial musical ideas. Without that as a foundation, you can add all the layers of sound you want - it's still going to sound like a mess.

I listen to a mixture of old jazz, contemporary, pop, some world beat stuff and various odds and ends.

Given a choice between Charlie Mingus and Eric Dolphy or Joe Strummer and Lou Reed, there was no choice. I like Reed and Strummer, but it's kiddie music.