The juxtaposition of words - the color, feeling, and sound of the words together - has as much to do with the story as the narrative itself does.

The Meatbats are a throwback band.

For live you need a microphone for the snare and the high hat, the kick drum, a nice stereo overhead and one for the toms - you can get away with using four mikes.

Music doesn't solve your problems..but allows you to dance all over them

I just try to approach and serve the music in the way that I think is right for the band I'm in at the time.

I just love to play and I get a chance to play with other musicians and I jump on it.

We always feel pretty creative as far as writing songs. We write them together; we just get in a room, or on occasion in Flea's garage. We just sort of improvise, like jazz musicians.

In some of the L.A. clubs, people can act too cool to get into your music. That can get to be a bit much.

Jazz can be so serious, no sense of humor.

I'm a little more of a lead instrument in the Meatbats.

I feel like in order to challenge yourself you have to get out of and do things that feel wrong at first and find new things. It's important to look for those things.

What others think about you is none of your business.

Under-representation of women and other inequality among researchers is a problem that will not solve itself as women acquire competence.

Some take advantage of natural resources to put the capital in the hands of the few, while some use these natural resources to benefit the majority, as we do in Bolivia.

Apples, grapes... any kind of fruit gives me the energy I need to get through my busy day.

Never apologize for being yourself.

Terror is glamour - not only, but also. I am firmly convinced that there's something like a fascination with death among suicide bombers.

There are financial bankruptcies in many parts of the church. No question about that. But we see the possibility of reimagining and revitalizing the church.

Opinions are like demo tapes. I don't want to hear yours

Writing wasn't about making money. I wanted to find fulfillment in writing and telling stories, and that's what's driven me.

Only psychos and shamans create their own reality