Was it difficult to write songs based on whatever Tim Fite or Yann Tiersen sends you?
That was the funnest part for me. The difficult thing for me was giving up control over how everything was going to sound, because I’ve been a control freak my whole life. But, I knew that I had to. This isn’t my [area of] expertise, recording instruments and creating stuff in the studio. That was Brian’s job, that’s why he was on the project. I just had to chill out and trust the situation. There’s a lot of commentary on religion. Is this a crisis of faith, or a spiritual awakening? I’m at an age now where I pinpoint the scams and the lies and the things that make me uncomfortable or the things that insult me. There’s not much that insults me, but when people peddle fear, I find that to be one of the most insulting things. That’s in the fabric of the lyrics throughout the album. There’s not one song about how religion is total bullshit. It’s just there when I’m telling my stories and reflecting back on my life; religion definitely plays a role in some of the more negative aspects of h
