JL: It seems to me that all of your songs are about hope.

DJ: Well, sometimes, but I've had some nightmares, you better believe it. I play a song-–and to this day I know it, from the past--and I've had some experiences, I'm writing a song here, putting together different things from my experience. It was this song about a girl I liked, and at the end of the song, she had my head chopped off! I was thinking, what a beautiful song, I like this melody here, and I stitched it together, and at the end I'm a dead man! And it just occurred to me, after singing it in concerts for years, nice little melody, and then I'm a dead man! What am I singing it for? Artists do strange things to themselves. That just seemed to resolve it. Sometimes when you put yourself through something in the name of art, you don't quite realize it, because you don't quite take a look at it. I'm drawing all the time, and I hardly take a second look at it, you know, I sell it. And somebody says "Do you know what these drawings mean?" Ha ha ha! I tried to put some meaning in it, I thought about it before I drew it, but . . . "You are weird, man." [laughs]

JL: Have you just started selling the art? Is that a new thing?

DJ: Yeah, I, like, ah . . . [At this point the bassist from David Dondero Band walked in to pick up his instrument, and Daniel lost his train of thought, suddenly becoming fixated on a crumpled-up tissue on the ground.]

JL: Umm . . . you used to home-make all of your records, and now you've got studio albums coming out. Do you feel like you have less control over the music?

DJ: I go into the studio every time I have the chance, it's really good people. I've never had anybody, like, chain me up to a wall or something, or hit me or anything. That's the worst I've heard, you know, nightmare people . . .

[Young woman in her late teens or early twenties walks in with a huge grin on her face . . .]

DJ: [Excited] Hi, how are ya doing! Is that you, Jamie?

Young Woman: No . . .

DJ: Oh, well how ya doing, I've met you before, is that right?

YW: Nooo, but I saw you playing up on stage!

DJ: You saw me up there and now you've come to meet me in person?

YW: Yeah!

DJ: Awwwwwwww . . .

YW: I love you! [Gives Daniel a big hug, giggling.]

DJ: You love me? Aw, I can’t believe that she loves me. OK, well, take off your clothing, you’ve got a nice friend here [points to me], and have away! [She laughs nervously and hands him a Rejected Unknown baby-doll tee to sign.] You want me to sign this? What, do you have a baby or something? DID WE JUST HAVE A BABY? [Laughter . . . he signs the shirt.]

YW: Can you draw me a squirrel?

DJ: Uh, no, I don't draw squirrels, they're hard to do . . . [ex-Sebadoh drummer/songwriter Eric Gaffney appears in the back room]

Eric Gaffney: Damn, some weed smokin' back here! [smelling the Herbal Ecstasy cigs] Who's smokin' weed?

JL: So Daniel, are you listening to anything in particular right now? Any other artists?

DJ: Well, I got a lot of Beatle things recently on this trip. One of the highlights of the tours is that I get to spend a lot of the money, what my father permits. My father hired a tour manager, and I get to spend a lot of the money at record stores. We went to one last night and I bought a bunch of Elvis Costello singles that were hard to find, and I got some Harry Nilsson records, I like him a lot, and I got some different Beatles collectable things. And I got some Elvis Costello. His music seems to evolve over the years, and I really enjoy that, when someone's your favorite, and then you can check in on him over the years, and just get everything they've done. I used to listen to Get Happy a lot. I root for the people I love, too, who keep on trying, keep on going. Because I hope to do the same, and just keep on trying, even if nobody likes me anymore. I'll always keep on trying! [laughs] What else . . . I bought a bunch of comic books. I love comic books.

JL: Which comics do you read?