So, what’s it like to be one-half of the most successful duo in music history? Did you and John set a goal to steal the title from Simon & Garfunkel, or did that just kind of happen?

No, I never set any goals. In the artistic world, goals are sort of meaningless. This is just something that has happened in my career. I’m really happy to have had that kind of an impact on people.

If you had to pinpoint a reason why you think the two of you have been so successful, what do you think it would be?

Well, I think the subjects that we write about are really things that people obviously relate to. We’re Philadelphia-based in our sound because we grew up there. We’re very regional musicians in that respect, and I think people respond to that kind of melodic soulful thing, along with the kind of lyrics we write. That’s the best I can say. It’s something that touches the heart of people all over the world.

You’re touring on your own this summer, and it looks like Lowell will be your first gig in a few months. Will you have a backup band?

I have a band. A lot of these guys also played with Hall & Oates, and it’s basically my Live from Darryl’s House band.

What’s it like performing solo vs. with John. Does it feel like something’s missing there?

No, not at all. It’s just a different thing. I work in a lot of different contexts, and one thing about my relationship with John is that we’ve always been very separate people as well as together. We don’t depend on each other. We’re thrown together because of our history and because we’re friends, but we work very effectively separately as well as together.

You’re playing a lot of outdoor venues this summer. Does that require a little bit different preparation?

No, not really. What I’m doing is taking Live from Daryl’s House onto the stage. To me, the stage is my house, too, so that’s perfectly natural for me. It’s that kind of thing. Whatever you’re seeing on my internet show is what you’re going to see on stage. That’s the kind of thing you can do literally in my living room or do in front of any number of people. It doesn’t make any difference.

Tell me a little about the origins of Live from Daryl’s House.

It’s just an idea that I had brewing in my head over a few years. I was trying to think of a new way to reach people – something that went beyond just playing live in front of people and having the traditional audience thing going on. It was something that was very much of the Internet, that had the freedom the old ways didn’t allow – the fact that you had to go on radio and do all these different things. It breaks all that away, and I wanted it to deconstruct the whole idea of a live performance, and make the audience literally in the room, and be part of the process. So that was the thought that I had, and it just sort of fell together that way. I have the ability to call any number of people and ask them to be guests on my show. That’s something that I think adds a really interesting element to the whole thing.

Once you had the idea fleshed out, how difficult was it to make it?

It’s not that hard to pull off. I got very lucky in that I found a really good director/editor. Editing is a really important part of this, because we don’t do it in real time, and we edit all these things together so that it really gives you this feeling. It’s something beyond performance, and it requires a very fixed vision. I’m very strong about what I want to do, and I have a director that I don’t have to argue with. He does what I want him to do, and that’s unusual with directors, I promise you.

Outside of being able to work with a lot of great artists, what other rewards have you been given courtesy of Live from Daryl’s House.

When you’re interacting with other people, there are all these happy accidents that happen. I play my songs differently all the time – they evolve. But when you put it in another situation, with one or two guests, suddenly the song takes a completely different turn. This happens over and over with us, and we really enjoy it as musicians. It’s something we can take away from Daryl’s House and use in our live performances, both in what I do and with Hall & Oates. It helps the songs to evolve even more, and makes them more interesting.

How do you decide who you’d like to perform on the show with? Do you just keep your ears open for people that appeal to you?

That’s exactly it. I just keep my ears open. I have a unique, in some respects, ability to go in two different directions. I can call people who are veterans in the business – people who’ve been around longer than me. I could call Bob Dylan if I wanted to. But at the same time, I could call a guy that’s an unsigned, brand new artist that I happened to see on YouTube and decided that he’s great. I can go either way, and the scope of it is really unlimited.

How difficult is it to put together a performance with someone who’s expressed interest?

The hardest thing is getting scheduling together. Any successful artist is working all the time, and so am I. So you have to coordinate. But other than that, it’s really very spontaneous. We are at the point now where we rehearse the song, and we play the song. It all happens at once. So you’re getting the initial energy of the performance right on camera.

Any future artists that you’d like to share?

I don’t like to talk about the future ones, but I just did one with Chromeo that’s really interesting. That was a lot of fun – just did it yesterday. And I also did one with a guy who – and this is an example of what I was talking about – a guy named Monte Montgomery, who’s an unknown person, but is an unbelievable singer and guitar player. I saw him on YouTube, and I brought him on the show, and it was one of the best shows, if not the best show, I’ve ever done.

Any other big projects in the works?

Daryl’s House is a pretty big project in itself. I have a solo album that I’m going to start working on, and the occasional dates with John. My dance card is filled.