I actually think sadness and darkness can be very beautiful and healing.
If I were to do this over I'd play a lot more shows before I made a record.
I'm a pretty big P.J. Harvey record fan and you can really hear New York in his record.
Lately I've been a workaholic. I'm in the studio all the time and I've helped to produce a couple of artists.
But I can't really say there is too much modern music that I'm blown away by at this moment.
I think my Buddhist practice has a profound influence on my life and encompasses my creative projects.
I try to make sure that the Buddhism is more or less implicit in the music rather than explicit.
I think in a way I was probably completely naive about what it takes to make something become a hit.
I started playing music at a pretty young age.
So I started chanting when I was nineteen, which was about twelve years ago, and it really had a huge impact on my outlook, happiness, and general creativity.
I wouldn't say that I've had a tough life by any stretch of the imagination.
Happy music doesn't tend to move me much.
I make the kind of music I like.
Things come to me pretty regularly. There is never a shortage or a backlog.
I mean, at the end of the day when I'm making a record, what I want to do is what I do.
My first two records were more energetic; Phantom Moon is subtle, quiet; so these various reactions are just something I expected.
I feel fortunate about being able to make the music I want to make and getting away with it.
Simon Hale, the British arranger, does all string and wood arrangements on my records.
I actually am always a music first person.
I privilege the music over the lyrics.
I got a publishing deal with BMG, they were supportive, and some money to record demos.
A real foolproof way to do it is play your stuff by hook or by crook and build up a grass roots following.
It's inevitable your environment will influence what you do.
And frankly, when I made that record, hit songs were not what I was trying to achieve.
So, once I've written a song, you know, I'm pretty happy with what the song is on its own terms.
I certainly wouldn't say that my life is a disaster, but there have been moments where I've felt like that.
Ultimately, if I'm really moved by something, it's going to go on the record and that's that.
Because of my Buddhist practice, I'm never lacking for inspiration.
