I describe my projects using colors because it's the best way to describe 'em. I would say that 'Moon Shoes' was way more colorful than a lot of my other music, just because I was pulling from so many different places. Imagine learning how to talk for the first time, and you're just saying everything.

I think the biggest reward is not physical. I rather obtain things spiritually. I mean, it's so cool to be acknowledged by the public, but that's not my goal. That's not why I make music. I would do it anyway, if there was no reward.

I think it is important to surround myself with artists who share the same goals and aspirations. This way, I am constantly encouraged to sharpen my craft and challenge myself.

My sophomore year at high school, I spent $300 I had earned working at After School Matters for my first studio session. For a 16-year-old to sacrifice that much money was pivotal. It spoke a lot about how serious I was.

Let me tell you, one of the most proud aspects of my career was buying Indymac during the financial crisis.

It takes big business a couple of decades to work out how best to exploit a cultural form; once that has happened, 'that high-low fork in the road' is unavoidable, and the middle way begins to look impossibly daunting.

The tension in pro ball comes from the realization that any game could be your last, that an injury could end your career. And in TV, you never know if or when your series will be canceled.

Your child probably won't get into the Ivy League or win a sports scholarship. At age 24, he might be back in his childhood bedroom, in debt, after a mediocre college career. Raise him so that, if that happens, it will still have been worth it.