For a long, long time I felt music was a trick for me....

For a long, long time I felt music was a trick for me. Because I had been playing guitar at such an early age, it felt like a magic trick -- I didn't really have a deep-seated appreciation for it. And I went through a period where I think I came very close to God taking it away from me. Fortunately, I got through it and suddenly went 'Oh my God, this is an amazing thing.' Music is a phenomenal thing and I saw it as a blessing and not as a trick anymore, and as soon as I recognized it for that, everything started coming together.