If you think meet-and-greets are fundamentally stupid, then you're never not gonna think that.

The music industry is really difficult.

It's really hard to foster self-love; it really is. I think a lot of people who claim that they do have a definite lack of self-loathing are either lying or just in a place that I don't relate to.

I spent a great deal of my career willingly ignoring the fact that people are participating in it, because it allows me to function without second-guessing it, without thinking, 'Oh, I wonder what people are gonna think of this,' or, 'I wonder what people aren't gonna think of this.'

With 'Epicloud,' I wanted something catchy as the flu but with a sentiment that is romantic, positive, and beautiful. Spiritual without religion and set to heavy music.

I'm just a perpetually confused and terrified person that is trying to be less so all the time, and music is the byproduct of that.

If you're making music strictly to make money, you might as well find another job.

I make music for people to hear it, so get it however you want!

I have no interest in being told what to do.

The best way of me not doing things is to demand it from me.

Strapping Young Lad is a representation of me, just as much as 'Ki,' 'Ghost,' 'Ziltoid' or 'Infinity.' There's no difference; it was just a different period of time.

I've been making music for so long, and the main hurdles I've run when dealing with any public exposure is that many of my projects are so different from each other.

I have, like, three or four friends and am a very private person.

As Devin, the person, I'm very different from my artistic self.

'Deconstruction' is a really heavy record, a real symphony in a lot of ways, but with heavy musicians from the metal world - friends of mine.

Because I think I am pretty left-brained - more than I gave myself credit for - I think I've managed to really dissect emotions. At least my own. And I've been able to understand what they do, how they do it, and when.

I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up sounding like they're screaming or whatever.

I've always loved the sound of female vocals.

I've always been into easy music. When I was 15, the record for me was 'Hysteria' by Def Leppard.

Music is so important to me that that's got to be the only way I can do it. In the purest possible way.

I'm very creative - making music, making puppets, that's my thing - but mainstream success and the demands that brings? No, not really for me.

I know that I'm often perceived as this odd guy who's a bit out there, and I've probably, once in a while, reinforced that image, but I'm really not that person, and, in a way, I want even less so to be seen like that.

I love people; don't get me wrong. Individually, I love that interaction between people, and I'm not an ogre or something; but huge crowds of people, huge groups of people who seemingly have endless access to you - as I get older, I'm not really into that.

The reason Strapping came to an end is because I'm no longer in my mid-20s.