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"There's a lot of interesting words, nomenclatures, in science," he says, looking bashful. "I'll sometimes make lists of words," he says. "Or I'll find one and fixate on it. Then it takes me on this little journey where maybe I'll end up at a dictionary, or just start conversations with people, 'What does anathema mean?' That's kind of my ritual for writing. People might be disappointed. But I need a little ritual, a conversation piece, or a challenge to myself. 'Somehow I've gotta work Greek Cypriots into this song and it's gotta make sense.' That becomes my little kernel."

{andrew bird interview}