I had been working my first record really hard and toured the heck out of it. I didn't have anything to write about so touring with The Decemberists was what I needed. I could work and take in the world again. You're just the side man and don't need all the info. You're also less busy than when your name is on the ticket, so I had days free to read, watch movies, and just look up.
. . . President [Bush] believes that [high-energy consumption] is an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policymakers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one.