“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been on both sides of it all, I guess. So there’s not one specific event or thought that I’m dealing with or drawing from necessarily.”

There’s a bunch of songs that I call B-sides on the record that you could argue could maybe have some potential commercial success with another artist, but for me, they just felt really whack.

My first attempt at real music was when I was 13. My first signed band was when I was 21; that failed. I got another deal at 26; that failed, and then I was broke.

I have a lot of questions and I don’t have that many answers. So what better place to exercise those thoughts than the lyrics, I guess.

I find that a lot of times when family members get bronchitis or the flu or something like that, I’ll kind of skate through and be really lucky and not get that sick.

I want to surround myself with the people I care about and that has a lot to do with what love is. It’s surrounding yourself with the people you do love and trust, and that kind of thing.

If you’re waiting around for something to be handed to you or win the lottery, chances are nothing is ever going to go down, you know, so you got to make it happen on your own.

Some people are more affected by, I hate to use the word “success,” but I don’t know what else to say, but some people are more affected by that than others.

I’ve had the same friends I’ve always had. I mean, I’ve lost a few over the years.

I’ve always found it pretty difficult to write a happy song. Since I was a kid, when I pick up my guitar it’s been hard for me to write some sort of bubblegum lyrics. It’s not really ever been my route.

I don’t know that I can say what exactly love means to me because it would be hard to put that into perspective.

I’ve always found it pretty difficult to write a happy song.

You don’t put out music unless you have a sense that people will maybe like what you’re doing or you’re standing for something artistically.

I really love music and I want to make it better the best I can.

Look, one of the things that I know for sure is that none of us truly knows. That’s it. It’ll hit you later.

My drummer is my favorite drummer in the world, and he also happens to be the funniest person you’ll meet.

Let’s say I’m at a party and I don’t like the feeling I’m getting, I’ll just leave. Why do I have to be there?

Its fun for me to go on other folks talk shows. When youve endured the ups and downs and tensions and pitfalls of hosting, being a guest is a piece of angel food.

Ain’t no point in stopping or slowing down. Ain’t like no ‘A’ight, I’m done with this, now take a break,’ you just keep going.

Falling down ain’t falling down, If you don’t cry when you hit the floor, It’s called the past cause I’m getting past, And I ain’t nothing like I was before, You ought to see me now.

Through Kurt I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that’s stripped down.

There’s a destitute side, a breakdown in me. My subversive pursuit to finally be free.

People can put you down, and they will but Allah will never abandon you, so long as you don’t.

Religions have depended on the relative isolation and ignorance of their flocks, forever and this is all breaking down.

The downward spiral of Dumbness in America is about to hit a new low.