The great thing about rock n' roll is, if you want to fight - like, fight the system, fight the man, fight the government, fight the people in front of you - it's Don Quixote all over again. You're really chasing windmills.
In the beginning, though, I have to admit that I did have a chip on my shoulder. I did want to prove everyone wrong. But after I went through the process and came out the other side, it wasn't about anyone else.
I'm definitely responsible for coming in with some basic chord changes, or ideas. Everybody in the band looks to me to come up with the basic seed, so it's not very productive to come in with nothing.
I'm very disappointed in my country right now, because I think we've kind of lost our moral compass.
My step-mom would tell me that she would get complaints from adults that I stared too much at them.
Compliments and criticism are all ultimately based on some form of projection.
Hey, Christian rock, if you want to be good, stop copying U2. U2 already did it. You know what I mean? There's a lot of U2-esque Christian rock.
I'm viewed as this weird, crippled character. But you got to take your lumps.
My pat line about the Cubs and payroll is that the amount of merchandise the Cubs would sell off a world series championship would more than cover for a big payroll.
There is something mighty suspicious about declaring an emergency for something that has yet to show itself to be a grand pandemic.
I often have deer on my property and there's a fox and owls. You're not going to see that in the city.
People try to make a big deal, like I don't want to play my old songs. That's not it. I don't want to play my old songs if that's my only option. That's a different thing.
The desire to hit a big home run is dominating the music business.
You have to be willing to deal with the ups and downs of the music, the ups and downs of the audience.
Most great records really start with the drums.
Calm, open debate, and logical thought drive strength to its maximum effectiveness.
I always thought Kurt Cobain was the perfect embodiment of the great alternative guitar player.
I was trying to be this person who is cool, eternally rocking.
Most people are living lives of sort of survival. And constantly posing an existential crisis, either through fantasy or oblivion, really has been pretty much explored in rock and roll. At least in the western version of rock n' roll.
You will never see the four original Pumpkins on stage ever again, unless it's a Hall of Fame thing. But you would never see a tour. There's so much damage, there's no way.