Quotes from Fred Armisen

My mom is from Venezuela, and my dad is German and Japanese, and we lived in Brazil when I was a kid for a couple of years, and then I grew up on Long Island. I think all the traveling and all the nationalities put that stuff in my head. I was just around it a lot.

My problem is with intimacy. That's where I have my biggest problems.

James Franco has turned his life into a real art project. In my opinion, that's the way to live.

No yoga. I can barely sit down.

Avoid people who tell you that something you want to do is not possible.

I'm so glad cities have personalities, just like people have personalities. That's something that makes me smile.

Before 'SNL,' I would do stand-up, opening for Jeff Tweedy. It was worse than bombing in that people were dead silent.

My showbiz career started with 'SNL,' and to write an 'SNL' book... well, there are already enough of those.

I can't relax. I'm not happy unless I'm working on stuff. 'SNL' is always a huge workload, as enjoyable as it is.

I learned at 'SNL' that it's a bummer to bum people out.

I love painters because I don't paint, so I get to enjoy art; I like collecting paintings.

I love 'Saturday Night Live,' and I really feel like people who have left before me have always stayed with the show. They never really quite left, which is nice. Everyone kind of stays close.

Every music journalist I've ever met has been stunningly beautiful.

There's no judgment on bands that continue on who aren't popular; some people get enjoyment out of it. I'm just not one of those people.

I work better when I'm juggling projects. Nothing worse than watching someone really embrace what they're doing if they love it too much.

There are bands that I am friends with, who will invite me up on stage. Like Les Savy Fav, who have had me on stage, and I have played on their record. There are a couple of bands like that. Yo La Tengo has invited me to play with them.

Music documentaries are tricky because of 'Spinal Tap.' That movie has stood the test of time.

I try to maintain a high level of coolness. Which means I've gotta look at lot of magazines. I've gotta look at a lot of ads to see what people want to wear.

I'd want to direct a video for Yoko Ono. As long as I got to work with Yoko Ono someday, I'd be really happy. I just think she's such a great artist - it would just be so nice.

I feel like Miami is way, way too hot.

I tend to think that there is a sophistication to everything at 'Saturday Night Live,' including the sketches.

Missing something doesn't help anything. You can only look at the future, what you can keep doing.

I take any project on a month or two at a time. Meaning, I don't think too far ahead.

Questlove redefined what a band can be, and Paul Shaffer and Max Weinberg really put their own spin on it. I bow down to these people. All of them.