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" I had a wacky job driving a forklift for an air freight company. That was the worst. "

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" I can be chill. That's a side of me that I like. But then, I can also be not so chill. I can get a little stressed out. "

" I write a lot when I'm feeling bummed, but other times, you get locked in, and it's totally personal. If you're really low and writing, you're not thinking about anybody at all. "

" I've got an amazing family. My wife is really smart. She's guided me the whole way. With children, you see them grow up, so it's like you're forever young. They are totally innocent and so unjaded. Watching them grow up makes you go through it again yourself. "

" When I write, I tend to tap into this human wondering vibe that could come off negative, but it's really not. "

" Nobody wants a complainer. "

" People can have their punk ideals, but I don't really care about that kind of thing. "

" When I first got the record deal, I thought it felt like I won the lottery. But I always worked hard at it. "

" There comes a time when you've toured a ton, and a time to be inspired again. Listen to awesome jazz records that are mellow with no words, and just sit there and read a book, or space out on your couch. And eventually, all that inspiration comes. "

" If I sit in the same square room and work on something too long, I feel like you just go mad. "

" I proved myself with 'Smoke Ring.' It was me maturing. I made a good pop record. "

" My favorite kind of song is the most beautiful song that you love so much and it's so good it makes you want to cry a little bit. Any jam can sound like that on a certain day. "

" I find that I get nervous before I play. Even sound checks can give me anxiety and screw with my mind. But as long as I can play a little acoustic guitar backstage if I'm feeling nervous, so I don't have to walk in there cold turkey, I'll be fine. "

" A lot of getting a song done is booking the studio time. "

" Around '93, the radio started playing 'Loser' by Beck and 'Cut Your Hair' by Pavement, and then I got way into Pavement. That was kind of a gateway drug into indie rock. I got all their B-sides, and I got that 'Hey Drag City' comp, so I got into all those Drag City bands. "

" I go through ups and downs in the psyche all the time, and then once you start moving again, it's amazing how you can always bounce back. You get, like, in a low rut, and you think, 'This is it; my life is a train wreck.' And then you bounce back again. "

" That's one of my favorite Matador records: Cat Power, 'You Are Free.' "

" I think that I identify with Philadelphia for a lot of reasons. Without even thinking about it, I called myself 'Philly's Constant Hitmaker' when I first got a MySpace, before I had any real hits. It was kind of just a funny slogan, basically lifted from the Rolling Stones' first album, 'England's Newest Hit Makers.' "

" I really like Cold Cave. "

" It's gotta feel natural. I'm always into that, and after awhile, if I am working on a song too long and trying to make something out of it that it's not... it's best just to stop and move on. "

" My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so I wanted to, also. I asked my dad for a guitar, and he got me a banjo, so that was my introduction to playing. I played it like a guitar. I had a few lessons, learned out a few chords, and figured it out right away. "

" I do a lot of things, and I'll get excited about them - maybe it'll be a song in a movie - and then it comes out, and you're like, 'Aww, that was cool, but it wasn't quite as big a deal as I thought it would be.' "

" Even when I played in little league as a kid, I liked making friends, but I didn't want to be there, really. "

" After I play a gig, I'm like a different person: I have superhuman strength. "

" My music has to be funny and sad and happy and loving; it's gotta have it all. When somebody's just too dark all the time, it's just drama. Or if somebody's too funny? Well, I like being too funny sometimes. "

" 'Smoke Ring' was a downer, then 'Wakin' was an upturn. "

" I definitely have relapses of stress. Most human beings are like that. But I think, ultimately, music is a therapeutic situation. Once you start playing, it all just gets resolved. "

" 'Street Legal' is like a cult classic. It's pretty cheesy at times, but you learn to embrace it. "

" When I was 20, I moved up to Boston with my girlfriend, who's now my wife. She went to grad school, and I met a bunch of cool friends there. "

" I really love that 'I Can Feel the Heart Beating as One' Yo La Tengo record a lot. "

" All of my surroundings influence my songwriting. It's autobiographical, although I leave enough space so it's relatable. "