Cynicism is tough. A cynic's point of view is really pitiful. I derive pleasure out of a lot of things in life. As long as I'm fairly healthy, it's hard to stay dismal for very long.
One of the dumber things my manager said was, Stick to the melody. But I can't.
With my songs, the question is always, 'Can you pull it off live, alone on just an acoustic guitar?' That's the litmus test. If I can, then it's a song I ought to record. If I can't, it's probably not good enough.
When you know part of the industry thinks of you as a one-hit wonder, that's painful.
As a kid, I was depressed and riddled with anxiety. The bottom dropped out when I was 19.