Anybody that's from somewhere that's made it in music outside of New York or L.A., if it's a unique enough place, they'll always say, 'Dude's from Minnesota!' Or wherever, you know? So that's how I got the Philly connection.

I'm always working on music.

Life is so beautiful, but there are all these scary things you can't deny.

My dad's really funny. The male sense of humor - like my grandfather's and such - is pretty bizarre. Basically my dad's side of the family is where the bizarreness comes from. It's a little goofy and a little out there.

I like a well-rounded life. All of this work is kind of useless if you don't have something good to come home to.

John Prine in particular... just the chord changes combined with the words. He definitely can make you cry a little bit. Just a little bit.

That Yo La Tengo record, 'Painful,' has got some real awesome, noisy, mellow heartbreakers.

When I first got the record deal, I thought it felt like I won the lottery. But I always worked hard at it.

I feel like when I say something sad, I mean it.

Cigarettes are the worst thing in the world for you.

I like New York. I like Philly. I like San Fran. I like when people are stoked. But Chicago's a real music town, and they're really good to us there. There's just something in the air there; people are just really stoked about music. Every time I go there, I have a great time, and the fandom is really heartwarming.

A lot of getting a song done is booking the studio time.

Every time I play with somebody, your perspective gets a little extended. It always rounds you out a little more in some way.

I always sort of liked Mesa/Boogies, but I wasn't sure if they were cool or not cool.

That's one of my favorite Matador records: Cat Power, 'You Are Free.'

I really love that 'I Can Feel the Heart Beating as One' Yo La Tengo record a lot.

I really like Cold Cave.

I've always been a music fan. I played trumpet. When I was in 4th grade, we were getting demos from the music teacher about different instruments we could play, and I said I wanted to play the trumpet right away. It was easy: it just had three valves.

I don't have anything to get off my chest. I'm not itching to prove myself anymore.

If I sit in the same square room and work on something too long, I feel like you just go mad.

My music has to be funny and sad and happy and loving; it's gotta have it all. When somebody's just too dark all the time, it's just drama. Or if somebody's too funny? Well, I like being too funny sometimes.

On one level, we're on Matador, but our amps still might explode on stage, or they'll be an echo in the mic. It's like climbing a ladder. I like to climb it really slowly. I could probably get really professional right away, but I like to take baby steps and find my own way.

I feel like my music is like - there are always new influences in there.

I go in and out of mental funks all the time 'cause it comes with the territory.

There's so many FM hits that I love. Bob Seger, there's two of his songs that I love. I would probably love more, but I don't sit around listening to Bob Seger records. It's the same thing with Tom Petty; he writes amazing hits, but it's not often that I sit around at home listening to a whole Tom Petty album.

'Smoke Ring' was a downer, then 'Wakin' was an upturn.

I like the idea of having money.

People can have their punk ideals, but I don't really care about that kind of thing.

Some people are so sad that, at times, that's what gets on my nerves - if they just hammer the doom, with no comic relief whatsoever.

I'm the kind of performer who gets lost on stage. I can tap into this soulful haze.

It was just the next logical step from making succinct pop songs. What do you do after that? You make pop songs that are longer and more epic, that push the envelope. Imagine your favourite song, or something that you play over and over in the car, except that you don't have to start it over as much.

Influence is all osmosis.

There's too many favorite songs, so I'll just say right now my favorite song of all time is 'Poison' by Bert Jansch.

It's gotta feel natural. I'm always into that, and after awhile, if I am working on a song too long and trying to make something out of it that it's not... it's best just to stop and move on.

There's so many ways you can play one chord progression that the repetition isn't ever exactly the same.

I get to come home to my family. It's awesome, just constant adventure, never a dull moment. So much life.

When I was a teenager, I was mostly getting tapes and CDs, and somebody hipped me to the fact that you can get things on vinyl that are not necessarily available on any other fomat.

I'm joking all the time with my friends, even when we're talking about serious things.

Critics always get the lyrics wrong in reviews, which is amusing - especially when they use them against you.

All of my surroundings influence my songwriting. It's autobiographical, although I leave enough space so it's relatable.

The last blue collar job I had, I was 29. Even 'Childish Prodigy,' I had a day job that whole time. Those early ones, they feel like psychedelic, blue collar records. Especially 'God Is Saying This to You,' there's such urgency in that album.

My favorite kind of song is the most beautiful song that you love so much and it's so good it makes you want to cry a little bit. Any jam can sound like that on a certain day.

I just try to make as much money as possible. However I can do it. With as much integrity as I can have.

I definitely have relapses of stress. Most human beings are like that. But I think, ultimately, music is a therapeutic situation. Once you start playing, it all just gets resolved.

I've got an amazing family. My wife is really smart. She's guided me the whole way. With children, you see them grow up, so it's like you're forever young. They are totally innocent and so unjaded. Watching them grow up makes you go through it again yourself.

I've been known to just pass out instantaneously, like, anywhere.

Everybody goes up and down throughout their lives.

I think 'She Drives Me Crazy' is hilarious and good.

I had a really fun time working with the HARRYS guys and their whole crew.

I proved myself with 'Smoke Ring.' It was me maturing. I made a good pop record.