41 Band Quotes

KISS is the number-one American band in gold-record sales. In the world, only the Beatles and the Stones are ahead of us. Every other band should be wiping my ass. The line forms over there to the left.

In The Doors we have both musicians and poets, and both know of each other's art, so we can effect a synthesis. In the case of Tim Buckley or Dylan you have one man's ideas. Most groups today aren't groups. In a true group all the members create the arrangements among themselves.

I don't think there are too many rock bands in history that can look at the beginning and middle and ending of themselves and see what I see when I think of Soundgarden. I think from the beginning through the middle and the end it was such a perfect ride and such a perfect legacy to leave

We're not the Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd. We're Linkin Park, and we cut all the fat out. We don't do guitar or drum solos.

I'm not a rapper, so I would be pretty bad at trying to rap in a band. Mike isn't naturally a singer, but the funny thing is he has a really good voice.

I look back at bands like the Small Faces, the Yardbirds, Free, the Byrds -- what came out of those bands? If you look at the family trees of some of the British Invasion groups, a lot of those guys wound up in the most successful groups of the '70s. So you do find a lot of super-groups in that era. In a sense, Led Zeppelin was that.

It wasn't because we had no future. It wasn't because we had no perspectives, but because of the way we handled things in the past. We always did things our own way, as a band and because we liked it that way. It was how Soundgarden worked. I think we're in a phase now where we just don't have enough enthusiasm to record another Soundgarden album and to tour. I think it's all very natural, just like everything that Soundgarden ever did. We always did what was best for the band. So if it's best not to record an album and to stop being a band, then that be it. It's not a problem for us.

Our record company wanted us to do a greatest hits album. Well, we thought it would be really funny to put out an album and call it B-sides instead of A-sides. We were never a band who tried to produce hit singles. I don't even think we've got something like 12 top-20 singles. That's one of the reasons why we all think the compilation should consist of rare recordings.

It's quite funny; Soundgarden were always part of a certain scene but now two years after our split, things seem to have changed. They're playing our songs on the radio, but they label us as classic rock. I'm really proud. After all, it means that they regard us as an important band. I didn't think it would happen so quickly.

The story of Soundgarden is my own story in a way, so why should I be afraid to talk about it? There's always a question that leads back to Soundgarden and I'm proud that I was part of the band, so why should I mind talking about it? After all, it was a great time for the most part of it.

Chris has a very penetrating and unique artistic vision that, when melded with ours, makes for a unique band chemistry. It's such a different vibe than any of us has ever experienced before. There's a great deal of camaraderie.

Adam: I'd prefer 'fuck and smash the state', because when you put the two together, you get crazy violent sex. Davey: Adam likes violent sex. All you bondage babes out there, the drummer with the hair likes rough sex.

Interviewer: What comes to mind when you think of A Fire Inside? Davey: That's my band and that's my life: AFI'.

We started the band out of love for music and the ethos of the scene we then became a part of. I do remember when I told my Mom we'd started a band and she said 'you didn't ask if you could start a band.' Even then I laughed.

'Even in his laziest moments, Presley was a master of intonation and phrasing, delivering his rich baritone with a disarming naturalness. And when he caught a spark from his great T.C.B. Band, Presley could still out-sing anyone in American pop. You can hear it here on inspired versions of Muddy Waters' 'Got My Mojo Working' (1971), Wayne Carson's 'Always on My Mind'(1972), Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land' (1975), McCartney's 'Lady Madonna' (1970), Percy Mayfield's 'Stranger in My Own Hometown'(1969), Dennis Linde's 'Burning Love' (1972) and Joe South's 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes' (1970).

'We're gonna stay together until we fucking well die, I'm sure we will. I keep wanting to leave, but they won't let me!'

'So things are going just swell; we eat bagels, we play songs, we take our shirts off and wrestle.'

'One time me and Davey were walking down the street and this guy comes up to us and is all, 'Ya'll must be from Grateful Dead!'

'AFireInside, to me, means these three other guys who drink all the soy milk backstage before I get a damn drop of it.'

Well, my brother and I have been playing music since we were kids together, and in a sense it has always been 30 Seconds to Mars. We've always wanted to do something that was different, creative and unique as possible. It was kind of a... different take on things musically. We wanted to stand alone, as strongly as we could. And Matt we've been playing with for about... not literally--[band giggles]--but we've been playing with for about 3 1/2 years [Shannon looks at Matt- 'I can't believe it's been three years.'] or longer, and Tomo has been with us for a couple years.

It's The Doors, the name of the band is The Doors. (in response to a DJ announcing to the audience: 'Please welcome Jim Morrison and the Doors!')

The Squares [his former band] never really fit in. We weren't rock enough. We weren't alternative enough. We weren't new wave enough and we weren't punk enough. Maybe we just weren't the right people for the band.

Kevin (one of the engineers), our man in the studded leather bracelets and AC/DC tour jacket says that they sound like a very sick Judas Priest, but of course in my estimation Judas Priest sound like a very sick Judas Priest.

'I can't play that without the band... Don't worry, I came prepared. This is a big gig for me.' -- Replying to a request from the audience during a February 27, 1971 solo show at Royal Festival Hall, London.

They left me, by the side of the road, with a plastic bag and all kinds of bitterness Well, in my mind, and I can say this forever I suppose, and people might laugh at it, but I don't think I ever really left The Libertines, nor can I ever leave The Libertines, you know, having been a founder of the band with Carl, but that sounds silly, doesn't it, seeing as they played all the festivals without me and made it difficult, no - impossible, for me to play live with them.

'Smell the horse on this one <sniff><sniff>' -- While performing with Crazy Horse

'He shows up, he looks shitty, he's got junk equipment, he looks like he's just got up and I want to punch him, and then Aaron starts playing and on the first note it's like, 'You're the guy.' He wasn't trying to be me, and play like I play. He played and chaos came out. It immediately made the band turn into something else'- Trent Reznor

There'll be no oiling up with this band. The oil has been there for years and it only gets better.

'There's been a lot of rumors lately, about this certain band called Queen...and the rumors are we're gonna split up, what do you think? They're talking from here (he points to his rear end). My apologies, but I'll say what I want, you know what I mean? So forget those rumours, we're going to stay together until we fucking well die so...I keep, I must tell you, I keep wanting to leave, but they won't let me... Also I suppose we are not, we are not bad for four aging Queens, are we? What do you think?... This is a new song, Who Wants To Live Forever...' -Live At Wembley Stadium, 1986

The main gist of it is to find the most ancient Beatle music possible. It comes in chronological order through the various other records we made and bring it up to date, up to now. We want to put as many songs on the CD's as possible, to make it of.

In the Canadian film Hardcore Logo, a Canadian punk rocker suggests 'Faster, Leonard Cohen! Die! Die!' as a possible band name. This also refers to the film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.

Who's that sexy beast? It's Bob Bryar.

Black Sabbath was a hippie band. We were into peace.