The band set up in January and just started rehearsing. If there was a song, we’d just rehearse it as a band, and it would get arranged as a band, and it got changed around a lot.

It’s not like that often, I mean, I suppose out of a ratio of 10 fans maybe like 1 or 2 of ’em might be Asian, and maybe every second or third time they might bring up something that they’re Asian and I’m Asian.

And they kind of left to find a guitar player at the very end, so you know, I don’t really take it as any slight that I wasn’t able to play on the record. It’s flattering just to play with them period.

You know, it’s going to be a really long tour, and well, I guess I’ll see what happens with A Perfect Circle, ’cause they do other projects too, and I don’t know. I hope I can always do a lot of different things, do ’em well.

We have a partnership deal with New Line Records, which is part of New Line Cinema, and… I worked on that.

Musicians always come off sounding a little bit pretentious, and a little bit… I don’t know, hypocritical, from what they do, talking about strong issues.

I live most of the time in New York now. I have an apartment there.

Yeah, I’m sure there are stereotypes of Asian people.

So there was something of a learning curve with doing your own thing and people seeing you outside of the band. I mean, people have never really heard my voice before – or heard a whole record of mine before. So it was a completely new experience.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago.

The band set up in January and just started rehearsing. If there was a song, we’d just rehearse it as a band, and it would get arranged as a band, and it got changed around a lot.

It’s hard enough to make a good song and a good recording of that song. But to try to tailor it to some outside force is just like – It’s never been a factor in what I’ve done or what the band’s done.

I mean I like pop music, and I like heavy music and, stuff that I like… the band I’ve signed on to our label right now; they’re called The Sounds. They’re kind of like a new-wave pop band.

Well, we didn’t have our original drummer on our last record. And most of that album was not played as a band in the studio. It was mostly the world of computers and overdubs. There was very few things played live or worked out as a band.

No, I’ve heard over the years that it’s nice for them to see somebody who’s like, you know, a well-known successful musician who’s Asian. I’ve heard it from a few musicians, too.

There is a lot of work just in terms of traveling and logistics and people and gear and all that kind of stuff. But I never really have problems playing music. That never seems like work.

But, yeah, as far as Asian Americans go, I hope they know they can look at me and see that they can do music on their own, within a band or just on their own, and not feel like there’s any barriers. I’ve never felt any particular barriers myself, being who I am.

Well, I’m pretty domestic actually. I walk my dog. I go grocery shopping. I hang out with friends. I’m pretty normal, whatever normal is, on my off time.

Even from a listening end now, I’m still completely a fan of music.

If you put all the songs together that I’ve written on band records, and put it up next to my solo record, there’s definitely a different kind of feel than Billy’s songs.

Well, I always hope that I’m a role model.