"God, how much time have you got? From the first time I met him, I knew he was a really intense guy -- he knew what he wanted to do with his music and he had such an uncompromising, clear vision for it. But it was also the fact that I knew he was clear about me, too. Once he had it in his head that I was gonna play the bass for the band, he wasn't gonna settle for anyone else. He's a genius -- I mean, all you have to do is look at the fan base to know that his music really connects with people and makes them feel seen -- validates their feelings and lets them know that they're not alone. It's brave -- he's brave. And when all that genius and honesty and intensity gets all tangled up, it can be something that's hard to navigate. It's a weight. It's impossible to hold on your own. And things got bad. Really bad. And for a minute there, we were really bad. We said horrible things to each other, did even worse. But like I said -- he's brave. He faced it. Got through it. Got better. I love him for that. And I've always loved him, even when I shouldn't have. But I'd go through every bit of that hell with him over and over for the life we have now. It's good. I'm happy, he makes me happy, and I hope I make him happy too because he's gonna have a rough time getting rid of me otherwise." @xaviermattthews