In the interview Butler addresses why he smashed his guitar on Saturday Night Live a couple weeks ago (it was cutting him and he hated it) and speaks about society and religion today (not to mention how much being a kid sucks). He sounds smart and thoughtful and it goes a long way to helping me forget the smashing of the guitar — plus I really love their new album Neon Bible and their show a couple years ago was among the top 2 or 3 concert experiences of my life.

Here is something he told the interviewer at the very end of the interview that strikes a chord with me because it captures a big part of why I am so angry with the way things are going in our country and in me.

“When you read Martin Luther King’s speeches about Vietnam, it could be today. Just change the word, and you’re talking about the exact same situation. We’re basically causing spiritual death in our country by doing what we’re doing. At a certain point, you become morally unable to do good in the world, because the country gets so cynical and depressed, there isn’t the force of will to try and change things. I definitely feel that in my generation, this kind of fatigue. And I feel that myself. You’ve got to fight it.”