I'm glad there are a lot of guitar players pursuing technique as diligently as they possibly can, because it leaves this whole other area open to people like me.
I want people to come to my music without prejudice. I want them to get the music first. And who I am isn't that important. If they like the songs to me that's a good thing.
People want to hear about the extremes of human nature. They want things that are larger than their own lives, and more romantic, and not necessarily of their own experiences.
It's amazing what some people read into songs.
Popular is a tricky word. People in large numbers don't always have the best taste. I prefer to concentrate on songs that are deserving, but slightly too arcane to be in every household - the also-rans, the misfits, the hidden jewels.
We're creating our own content because it's very important to be out there with marketing that people say is unique and different.
There were three pandemics in the last century. Most people alive today lived through two of them without really noticing them. This wasn't a major trauma to societies or economies or even to health systems. So pandemics can occur which have relatively minor effects.