While the business of collecting lyrics and melodies happens all the time, when it's time to corral them all into something, I have to be in a good mood, ready and willing to work.

I write songs simply because I get a kick out of making them exist. I'm also sort of addicted to the recording studio, and making albums is my idea of fun.

If and when I do get down, the last thing on my mind is writing a song. Usually, being bummed just involves lying around on the couch and taking the bad weather personally. I only write songs when I feel good - or at least something approaching good.

On the whole, it bums me out that lyrics seem to be written as afterthoughts nowadays. Not sure why this is, but hopefully things will come around again and bands will once again want to communicate ideas with their audience, and not just content themselves with providing attitude and atmosphere with clichés on top.