PT: Did he or your mother follow your music career over the years?
MT: Also, it’s not. My parents were pretty straight. My father was a judge and lawyer in Washington, DC. My mother was an elementary school teacher. They didn’t understand the whole “alternative” thing. They were worried about me, but after a while they were proud of me for doing my own thing.
PT: Do you feel like your work is done while you’ve been taking care of them these past few years?
MT: yes. That’s a gift I got from being around people who helped me a lot. I approached them. And I was able to process what was in my head. It was a strange and wonderful time. It was a real mess, but there were also some really meaningful moments.
PT: There’s a lyric in “Dominoes” on the new album: “You can’t love without letting go.” Did you write that based on this experience?
MT: It’s funny because at first that line was just a throwaway line. “Domino” wasn’t even close to being a record. It was a fun song about falling in love with the wrong person.
PT: That’s the great thing about music, right? A song may mean one thing to you, but a completely different meaning to someone else. Thinking about my friend who passed away really confused me.
MT: I knew it meant something (smile).
PT: Elsewhere on the album you describe your isolation as a guest. Do you see loneliness in your life this way?
MT: It’s like a guest that never disappears no matter how many times you keep appearing. And it just comes back and knocks on the door, and you go, “Damn, I told you to get out of here.” And finally, one day I just put it in and it stays there.
PT: Is there always loneliness?
MT: I think so. I wrote a song about it (smile). I’m a loner by nature. They don’t even realize that they are alone. And I’d just be like, “Oh my god, I’m really messed up.” what happened? Oh yeah, I really miss you.
PT: Are you hard on yourself? About being lonely?
MT: Am I being hard on myself?
PT: Oh, or, damn it, that’s me.
MT: It’s probably a little bit of both.