I enjoy trying to figure out a way to deal with machines - they become like little buddies or something. It's almost the same way you might develop a relationship with a dog - maybe that's weird to say - but there becomes an understanding you reach after a while.

I've had the idea since high school, of writing music just for voices, just a choir. I don't know if I'll ever get around to doing it, but I'd definitely be excited about trying to pull that off at some point. It definitely seems like an older-me kind of project.

Drugs don't have to be a part of that to me, so if somebody says - your music takes me to that sort of place - then I'm really psyched.

I have a hard time with extreme imagery. Like I can't watch horror movies or anything like that.

At least for me personally, drugs aren't an essential part of having a surreal experience, or what you might call a higher experience.

I like to think about music as a sport. But only in terms of golf, as far as the course being music and me being the golfer. So it's competitive but only with yourself. With the last one doing well, it made it a challenge to feel like I was improving in some way.

I don't listen to music throughout the day very often. I don't own a record player. I don't really have a stereo system. Most of the music I listen to these days is on the web or on MySpace pages, stuff like that.

I always dreamed of going out to space. The idea of going to a planet where nobody's ever been is attractive to me, it just suits my nature.

Even before I wrote any songs, I had this idea of a triangle where the voice was at the top, some sort of guitar element on one side, and then some sort of really basic rhythm on the other side. That's where I started from in the recording process.

I'm really into the idea of playing sit-down drums again. I don't know if it'll end up that way, but as of right now, that's what I'm interested in doing.

I didn't grow up as a religious person under any sort of system or anything like that, I just felt like I've always been sort of intrigued by that - how it can make people's lives better - I mean, it's a powerful thing. So I was interested in thinking about that kind of stuff.

Doesn't every band sort of appropriate their influences into what they do? I guess that would be my defence: if you're making something, you kinda can't help being a conduit for other things.