- One of the challenges for me each time is how do I write something that I love, that I believe in, that's different and interesting, that pushes me, but is not too complicated.
- I think it's our responsibility as a band, and what separates us from everyone else...I felt a responsibility to actually write and sing about things that have a level of human gravity to them. If everybody else sings about sex and love and lust and money, then somebody's gotta be singing about life and faith and hope and things of that nature. And in the pantheon of their esteemed career, they've had two #1 hits, and I think both were 25 years ago. It's not about that - it's about what songs feel real. I'd rather have a song that peaks at #15 that's meaningful and embedded in the cultural framework we live in than a #1 song that explodes for five seconds, becomes the dance hit of the summer, then goes away.
- There are songs that fly up the charts because of the zeitgeist, but if you're too attached to the current sound, that song will be time-stamped...So we try to make stuff that doesn't sound dated.
- I'm actually introverted and shy.
- [Interviewer: Who is the worst driver out of all of you (OneRepublic)?] Brent. I would say without question, Brent. I would not want to go on a road trip with him driving.
- You just have to be yourself and forget what other people think about you.
- I don't smoke, but if I did, I wouldn't hide it.
- And now, appearing only today, I would like to introduce the sexiest man alive... Brent Kutzle.
- We have this wonderful, beautiful piece of art right here, Brent Kutzle. But he's like Renoir. When you see it from a distance, you think: "Oh my God, that's beautiful." You get closer, you go: "Oh, that's kind of messy." Just kidding, he's our little cellist. Okay, okay. He's scaring me.
- Justin Bieber was supposed to be here, he got tied up in Miami so we're filling in.
- I'm always reading multiple books. Right now it's "Escape From Camp 14" by Blaine Harden, about a North Korean prison camp that's incredibly depraved and disgusting. Also "Mission to Paris" by Alan Furst because I'll read anything about Paris. And I've left three different copies of "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin on three different airplanes. It's what the film "Lincoln" is based on and I'm halfway through it, so I have to get another copy.
- I love "Iron Chef." I've been into cooking for about 10 years now. If I hadn't gone into music, I'd have gone into food. In the next few years, I think I'd like to open a restaurant where my wife and I pick the chef and we plan the entire menu. I think an interesting concept would be a Spanish-Asian fusion restaurant - Spasian. You could have prosciutto wrapped figs with goat cheese and some crazy dim sum and paella won tons.
- I go to CNN.com, like, five or six times a day. I don't know. Maybe I have I.D.P. - information deprivation paranoia. I also check out a lot of the music message boards to see what people are listening to, and if I have a song that's out, I see if people hate it or love it. There's ATRL, Pulse Music Board and Digital Spy. And I go to Pitchfork. They are to music what The New York Times is to books.
- I listen to Muddy Waters probably more than anything. Next to Muddy Waters it's probably Arcade Fire's album "The Suburbs." It's pop music, but it's smart pop music. The fact that they are doing a stadium tour without having a true hit on the radio is a huge testament to how great a band they are. I'm also a big fan of Birdy. Her debut album is phenomenal and she was only 15 when it was released.
- I collect historical papers. I have handwritten letters from Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Edwin Stanton and William Seward. My family has been in America since 20 years before the Mayflower. At an early age, I got to know my family history and that got me interested in American history. Owning an actual piece of history makes it real. And it's all appreciable. They're not going to make any more.
- I bought a hoodie in Portland, Me., that has changed my entire flying experience. The hood on it is so damn big, it provides instant privacy. If you sit down and don't want someone talking to you, you just flip this hood up. It's like the hood on the emperor in "Star Wars."
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