"I used my uncle's old '69 Alvarez. I am by no means a very good guitarist but I have a lot of fun layering things together."

For a guy who describes himself as "shy" and "a loner," you seem very comfortable on stage. Are you?

"I always imagined what it would be like to perform on stage in front of a lot of people, and as a result, usually became nervous at the idea as well. Performing becomes easier as you do it. I still get butterflies."

Does the sound of a live band - with live drums especially - excite you as much as creating at home?

"There are a lot of things to appreciate about both. I think I favor the studio a bit more."

(So what do you think? Does this...)

How does your live setup differ from what you use at home?

"I play a lot of hardware live, a Nord Wave and a Moog Voyageur. At home I sequence everything in Pro Tools."

Like so many people, you started putting your music on MySpace. But yet, you hit a nerve and people reacted big-time. Why do you think you struck gold - well, platinum, really?

"Ask me that in 20 years. I honestly have no idea. It's incredible. Totally surreal."

What about pitch correction on your vocals What do you use?

"I use Auto-Tune."

OK, Fireflies....No. 1 smash. How does it feel - like you've cracked open the door for more, or do you worry about it becoming a one-hit wonder?

"That song is funny. It kind of wrote itself. I'm honored that so many people seem to connect with it."

What was the inspiration for Fireflies? It doesn't sound like something that a guy in Minnesota would come up with.

"This one time I went to Taco Bell and got a grilled stuffed burrito and some cheesy fiesta potatoes. It was awesome. Then I went home and wrote Fireflies."

(...sound like this?)

What's a bigger thrill - having Fireflies go to No. 1, or having it featured on Kidz Bop 17?

"One time I heard my song in a toolbox factory in Iowa on a really crappy boombox with a screwdriver stabbed into one of the speakers."

I have to ask about the early slamming you got from some critics, especially Pitchfork, comparing you to The Postal Service. Unfair? Do you hear why they might lump you together? Are you totally sick of the comparisons and wish people could just move on?

"My dad totally used to be a mail carrier and he got to drive around one of those sweet trucks with the steering wheel on the wrong side."