Thirteen shares something with novelists such as John Cheever and Richard Ford, the notion that middle age, not youth, is when a person can make the most dangerous, destructive decisions in their life. Reyne said, "There's a desperation that comes with middle age, and there are things that can go wrong. The record is autobiographical - there's a song called "The Drone" that's written about me. It's a joke, but kind of true. I'm a big fan of Warren Zevon and Randy Newman, and they've always been frank in what they sang about while having fun with the phrases."