Quotes from John Oates

I think in music and a lot of creative fields, people's egos get in the way of their ability of seeing the big picture.

I never finish a show without singing 'She's Gone.'

I don't care if it's a Cole Porter song, or George Gershwin, or Lennon/McCartney, or Elton John, or you know, whoever, Bob Dylan. Great songs are great songs, and they stand the test of time, and they can be interpreted and recorded with many points of view, but yet still retain the essence of what makes them good songs.

I have such a wide variety of tastes in things that I like musically.

You don't want to pitch a tent and live inside the Louvre. You want to check it out, appreciate it, and move somewhere else.

I realized if I'm not really making an album, I don't have to be concerned about things like stylistic consistency, pacing, a coherent mood. All that stuff goes out the window.

If I stopped touring tomorrow, it wouldn't change my life.

The Christmas genre is a field that's been well-ploughed.

I don't listen to music. I very rarely listen to music. I only listen for information. I listen when a friend sends me a song or a new record.

I wish I could see over crowds and small groups of people.

I love what Alabama Shakes is doing - it's kind of like what grunge did to rock 'n' roll, they're doing to R&B.

I'm really in such a fortunate position to have that foundation with Hall and Oates that lets me do whatever I want. That's the dream of a lot of creative people, and I don't take it for granted. I try to make the most of it.

To me, when a great band is playing together, it's amazing for me.

I have a great family, I live an amazing life.

If you look over the years, the styles have changed - the clothes, the hair, the production, the approach to the songs. The icing to the cake has changed flavors. But if you really look at the cake itself, it's really the same.

In our relationship, we don't have that situation. I don't require what he needs, and he doesn't require what I need. I know what I do I have an amazing life that nobody knows about.

A good mustache makes a man for many reasons.

I do a lot of things behind the scenes. I do a lot of things that don't hit the headlines.

I used to love assemblies because it got me out of class.

It's the music that brings us together.

I think the key to making records generally is to make 'em for yourself, regardless of the climate in the business.

You've got to pay me to leave my house, spend the night in hotels and fly in airplanes. That's what I get paid for. Playing I actually do for free.

The key, I think, from a business point of view, is to learn how to be efficient in making a record that's not too expensive, so that you're not going crazy spending tons of money making a product that might not ever return that money.

If Daryl stopped touring it would be a big part of him missing.