I guess John Lennon had it right: give peace a chance.
To me John Lennon and Elvis Presley were punks because they made music that evoked those emotions in people.
I spent many years trying to write a lot like Ben Folds or John Lennon or Rivers Cuomo. I think that's healthy when you're learning to write and seeing how chords fit together and how songs take shape.
I keep mementos from everything I've done. I've got my cab driver's license from 'Happiness.' I've got a pair of glasses and a belt buckle from playing John Lennon. I've got a pair of sunglasses from playing Andy Warhol... It's all in a box in the garage.
I realized that it's all really one that John Lennon was correct. We utilize the music to bring down the walls of Berlin to bring up the force of compassion and forgiveness and kindness between Palestines Hebrews. Bring down the walls here in San Diego Tijuana Cuba.
I grew up in Greenwich Village. Dad was friends with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
You can't escape the taste of the food you had as a child. In times of stress what do you dream about? Your mother's clam chowder. It's security comfort. It brings you home.