"If kids and teenagers can get into a band, it's probably not because they think it's brainy."
"Sometimes you want to dress a certain way... that doesn't always reflect your pedigree."
"I grew up listening to Jay-Z, and I think the first time I really became obsessed with learning and thinking about lyrics was when I started listening to rap; I was 11, 12, and started becoming aware of music beyond the familiar."
"I do think sometimes there's danger in guest appearance mania. I've seen too many examples that sound cool on paper, like 'Oh, get that guy to sing the hook on that guy's song,' and then that's all it is. It's a cool idea that sounds good on paper."
"Rapping and singing are not two polar opposites. There's so much middle ground. And I think there's a lot of people who find that middle ground."
"I'm pretty sure that the Walkmen are the band that I've paid to see the most in my life."
"It's so easy for anyone to deal with their own guilt of being a middle-class white music fan by pointing to other people who they perceive to be richer than them, whiter than them."
"My dad has a really great record collection that basically went up to the year I was born: 1984."
"I'm a huge fan of the Bay Area so I always love coming to San Francisco."
"In Europe, I always have fun bike riding in Amsterdam."
"I don't like to generalize but I've had nothing but bad experiences with Mexican food in Europe."
"Musicals don't get enough credit for being so surreal. It's like an alternate universe."
"I go to great pains to find the best yogurt and granola."
"It's cool to have instruments lying around because they give you different ideas."
"Some people say video games rot your brain, but I think they work different muscles that maybe you don't normally use."
"Playing 'Tetris' for 15 minutes is like meditation."
"Anyways, trying to express yourself to the press is often like arguing with a hysterical person."
"I still to this day get the most inspiration from rap lyrics."
"Growing up listening to rap music, you almost feel like you should have haters. That's an important part of being a successful musician. It's a good thing, I guess."
"Making every record is a process full of tough times."
"Well, growing up in the '90s, my first true love was ska music."
"I went to Columbia University because I knew I wanted to go to a school that was academically rigorous. I prided myself on getting good grades, but I also hated it."
"I still think that if you're excited about something, you have to work at it."
"As an artist you have the luxury of maybe presenting an issue in a certain way, as opposed to actually solving it."
"When Obama came to power, there was a lot of talk about a post-racial America."
