When author Daniel Handler ('A Series of Unfortunate Events') admitted to Ben Gibbard Tuesday night that he was still a bit confused about the term "emo," the Death Cab For Cutie frontman smiled appreciatively. "I don't think I understand it either," he laughed. Neither embracing nor shrinking away from the elusive term that's commonly used to define his band, Gibbard described himself as an emotionally-heavy songwriter, having grown up on "music that was very heartfelt and personal."

Discussing the nuts-and-bolts of the songwriting process itself, as part of San Francisco's 'Talking Music' series, Gibbard revealed that he approaches it much like an office job. "I usually keep nine-to-five hours," he said. "I work Monday through Friday."

Despite his discipline and schedule, Gibbard hasn't actually kept a "normal" job since he quit a temp stint in 2000, when Death Cab cashed their first royalty check. "I expected -- and almost in a weird way still have this complex today -- that at some point I'll have to go back to that temp agency," he said. "I think about it less now than I did then."

Following the conversation segment, Gibbard performed a short acoustic set and invited Handler to sit-in on accordion for a cover of the Magnetic Fields' 'Why I Cry.'