Creativity Quote by James Young

James Young is trying to sell stability without sounding like he is selling anything at all. The phrase "in my own mind" is a small, telling hedge: it signals self-awareness, maybe even a preemptive defense against the fans and ex-members who remember a messier version of the band. He is not claiming objective truth; he is claiming emotional truth, the kind that matters when you have spent decades touring, breaking up, patching things, and watching your personal life get treated like liner notes.

Calling the band a "family" is standard rock vocabulary, but Young tightens it with "functional" and "well balanced" - words that belong to therapy-speak more than backstage mythology. That choice is the point. He's reframing the classic narrative of rock chaos ("genius", "ego", "dysfunction") into something more middle-aged and survivable: competence, boundaries, and mutual toleration. It is less romantic, but it is how a long-running act actually keeps the lights on.

The split emphasis on "off and on the stage" is another quiet reveal. He's insisting the performance isn't the only place harmony exists, which implies there were eras when the show went smoothly while everything else was radioactive. "Current incarnation" does the rest of the work: it acknowledges lineup changes and reinvention while politely avoiding names, blame, or tabloid autopsies. The intent is reputational and practical - reassure audiences that what they're buying now isn't just nostalgia, it's a healthier machine that can still deliver.