It's easier to make art for a society at a certain point in time with an understanding of what's going on.

Some of my early musical memories are attached to grunge.

I think of the pop music that I've made in the past and hear on the radio as candy bars. And I was really good at making candy bars.

A lot of people considered my career as an artist largely over. Two albums got shelved. But I've made music since I was a little kid, and for the majority of that time, I wasn't paid for it. So I will always be making it.

Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear, misheard words or lyrics, dreams... Motivation? The memory of the rush I get from a really good writing session - even on a bad day, I know I'll find that again if I keep going.

A great book provides escapism for me. The artistry and the creativity in a story are better than any drugs.

All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry.

You have to learn how to read contracts, how to position yourself, and about marketing. That is why you find the most successful artists are the ones who can mix creativity with business.