“When you go in and do a cool, small character, it feels less like work and more like fun.”

I wasn’t ever good enough to be on the baseball team and that sort of stuff.

I had a very modest upbringing.

Because I’m such a studio guy, I really trust my process. I really believe in myself in the studio.

I wanted to be a professional baseball player.

I like to challenge myself and give myself a timeline. It pushes me to be more creative and actually do these things, not just dream about them.

Hearing the record and seeing the response is affirming that it was the right time and right choice.

I didn’t do the typical things that young kids do.

My tendency is to be the guy in the back, even though I often end up being the guy in the front.

Nobody believes it, but I slept on a futon till I was 13.

Even in my darkest times I knew I had a good future ahead of me.

But I’ve consistently worked for 10 years.

My mom just understands about stuff. We have a really good trust, and she knows I can take care of myself.

My parents were hippies.

Even the great bad guys in cinema history, they’re likable.

I think some people are on a mission to die, and I never was.

I have a habit of recording records very quickly – and not in a haphazardly way, not in a way where I’m not focused on details, because I’m a freak when it comes to that.