On the 537th episode of the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, Marc Maron has an interesting conversation with Rivers Cuomo* of Weezer about his method for songwriting, particularly in the gap between Pinkerton (1996) and The Green Album (2001).
What I find so captivating is Cuomo’s application of a scientific mindset to “solving” his creative process in the hopes of working more efficiently and effectively. He fails, but does not conclude that his art cannot be understood by science. His problem was a classic scientific problem of too many variables, too small of a sample size (ie, n=1), and too little time. Cuomo also defies Maron’s efforts to portray his analytical quest as potentially maddening. It simply wasn’t productive enough.
I’m going to recommend the whole interview, but the segment I have described starts at about the 34:50 mark.
*Promoting Weezer’s new album Everything Will Be Alright in the End.
The Finch and Pea 