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People like Jeff Buckley, the Mars Volta and Bjork made me listen to music differently. You learn the voice is an instrument you can do crazy things with.

I think listening to real classic soul material made me learn how to feel music that's sung.

I grew up listening to classic rock - the Kinks, Genesis, The Who, Pink Floyd.

When I was in top 40 bands, I always had to learn new material and new styles.

I had tremendous fun fooling around with the way people talked about songs, just the way that became another way of understanding the world.

I'm really a very weak musicologist. Wish it weren't so, but there's only so much you can dig deeply into in one lifetime, as if you hadn't noticed.

Throughout the years I have tried to hone my skills to gain mastery over the music in my head.

Before I wasn't sure what I wanted to say, but now, I have had so many different experiences that they have given me what I want to get across in my music.

I'm more prone to his '70s material, which is what I was around for and watched a lot. I listen to a lot of that stuff. It probably influenced me quite a bit. I'm more drawn to the darker, sadder songs.