Mark Kozelek

I'm a remedial reading student from Ohio who grew up to write pieces on my mom and dad in the 'New York Times.' They were really touched by that - something they never saw coming.

Your time is spent making records, planning, touring - not counting the days until another guy's concert. There are some newer artists I like in a casual, passing way, but I couldn't tell you the bass player's name or name two songs off of their new record.

I don't make demos. I don't have the interest or the energy or the time. Demos are something you do in the early stages of your career, but when you get going, you just go in and record the song.

That 'Rollercoaster' album cover was very prophetic in its own way. My career has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

NME' and 'Melody Maker' were saying I was the next Lou Reed or Van Morrison. So, everyone has their own version as to when the height of my career was.

I'm homesick everywhere I go, but England has a negative effect on my spirit to a profound degree. That trip from Heathrow into London is worse than the flight over there. It's just so grey, and I'm not a pub person, and the traffic in London gives me a heart attack. It's not a comforting place, on any level, to me.

My most successful album happened back in the mid-'90s, pre-Internet times, with 'Songs For A Blue Guitar.' We were supported by Island Records; we toured a lot. Songs were licensed to TV commercials and movies.

Artists have kids, mortgages, or drug habits, and they got to do what they got to do. But reforming and the reunion stuff isn't me. I'm a 'moving forward' person.

I see myself more like a novelist or a polygamist than a musician in terms of my output.

My dad still hasn't heard 'I Love My Dad,' and I'm sure he'll say something like, 'It's good, but I love your version of 'Little Drummer Boy'!' My dad loves my live albums - he's obsessed with the live version of 'Little Drummer Boy' for some reason.

I have love in my heart, and I'm kind to people every single day of my life.

When you're a touring musician, you're always turning over new rocks, and there's always a certain level of tension in your life. The music business, and the travel that comes with it, is stressful, challenging, redundant, exhausting, exciting, and often very depressing.