I think music is amazing. Emotion, storytelling, and inherent connections between man. They're the great spawn of greater friendships. Both Jasmine and JP were friendships spawned by our love of one band (Jasmine being mewithoutYou, JP being the Mars Volta). When there's nothing to talk about, you can talk about music and its patterns and its words and its legitimacy.

That's why there's no musical canon, because all of it is great to someone. Even Killswitch Engage, just not to me.

But once you've got that first spark, that first connection, you can go much further than without it. And, for me, music has been that first big spark many times. Find your music, find your people.

Be your own enemy.
Believe in God.

Other things that are almost as uniting: Books, TV shows, Movies, Fashion, Language, vernacular. God. Faith.

Do not conform. Let them conform to you.