The Challenge Is To Just Focus On

There’s No “correct Path” To Becoming A Real Artist. You Might Think You’ll Gain Legitimacy By Going To University, Getting Published, Getting Signed To A Record Label. But It’s All Bullshit, And It’s All In Your Head. You’re An Artist When You Say You Are. And You’re A Good Artist When You Make Somebody Else Experience Or Feel Something Deep Or Unexpected.

I Never Wanted To Grow A Thicker Skin; I Felt A Real Sense Of Pride In My Thin Skin, And In A Weird Way, I Still Do, Because It's My Thin Skin That Allows Me To Empathize With Other People. It's The Thing That Allows Me To Create Vulnerable Art. It's The Thing That Allows Me To Create Other Feelings And Make Songs That Actually Grab People And Touch People. I Feel Like I've Spent My Life Fighting That Thicker Skin Because I Don't Want To Become An Embittered Asshole.

While We're Over Here Blocked Up In Our Departments And Locked Up In Our Own Judgments And Dealing With Our Own Crazy Problems, They're Over There Dealing With Equivalent Problems. One Of The Things That I Am So Frightened By Lately Is That Men Are Having Just As Difficult A Time Striking A Balance As We Are.

I've Always Felt Like An Outsider Across The Board, Since Day One. The Challenge Has Been To Simply Not Pay Attention To My Outsider Or Insider Status And Just Do The Work And Play The Shows And Connect With The People. And Not Even Bother To Play This Game Of Keeping Score, Which Is What Destroys You.

Donald Trump Is Going To Make Punk Rock Great Again.