PRODUCER: Olsson

WEB SITE: pjolsson.com

OLSSON: "Of course. I worry about a fan sticking around past the first verse. I keep in touch with my fans, though. In fact, I had a fan come and stay with me for a week in Michigan and see what it was like to live with the family. I even cooked them dinner."

P&P: When you weren't working on this album, what did you do with your time away from the spotlight all those years?

OLSSON: "I've been raising children, smoking bongs and programming beats."

P&P: Publicity material tags you a "techno folk troubadour." Does that work for you?

OLSSON: "I hate descriptions."

P&P: Considering that you're a free spirit, was it painful to be under the umbrella of a mega-label like Columbia?

OLSSON: "The painful thing was all that money they spent and no follow-through. No actual guidance, no balls."

P&P: Out-of-left-field question: Let's say you've got a chance to speak at a congressional hearing on whether to legalize marijuana - what would you say?

OLSSON: "I would only be speaking for myself, because by no means does my voice represent a mass of people. I could only speak from myself and say that from everything I can see, it would be better if marijuana was legalized and, from the government's standpoint, just so they can make their money like they do for alcohol and tobacco. I think there are a lot of therapies out there and people end up on lots of man-made pills that are stronger and harsher on the body in the long term. I'd also like it to be legal so it would be easier for me to get it."

P&P: Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

OLSSON: "The first songs I wrote were actually for string quartet because I was really into the violin when I was about 8 years old. I was around the same age the first time I wrote a pop song. My best friend and I recorded something on some tape decks. It was very Beatles-like and cool. Now he is the principal of the school in our hometown."

P&P: What's the first record you ever bought?

OLSSON: "AC/DC's 'Back in Black.' It was just the first time I was allowed to buy a record on my own and that is the one I chose because it was black. It is still brilliant to this day."

P&P: What's the first concert you ever went to?

OLSSON: "Rick Springfield and Corey Hart. It was in Michigan and I went with a friend's parents. I think I thought it was pretty wimpy."

P&P: What's the worst job you've ever had?

OLSSON: "Probably busing tables at the Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles. It was so hard, just really hard. That's what I was doing before I got my first record deal."