Quotes from Mike Patton

There are so many ideas that I have in my mind, of projects that I would love to tackle, people I would love to work with, genres I would love to experiment with, and sounds that don't fit any of my previous projects that I need to find a home for.

I remember playing with John Zorn and Ikue Mori in Taiwan in a school classroom. There were, like, 15 people there, maybe, and they were sitting at the classroom desks, and we played under the chalkboard. There's no difference between playing that and the 'download' festival.

Touring is a weird thing. It's like getting married to four different people.

It feels really good to be the bad guy, and 'The Darkness' is as bad as it gets.

I like the cut of my gib. I dislike the way I move.

I like to have a few things going on at once. It feels natural.

I know that whatever I put out, whether people think it's pop or noise or whatever, it's always going to be some kind of a freak or mutation. It's not going to be anything pure that a lot of people will relate to. And that's fine.

I don't read or write music in the traditional sense, so I have to figure it out on the fly while I'm in the studio.

If they're acting like a dog, sometimes you're forced to treat people like dogs.

I have to make an effort about things like going to the grocery store. That stuff reminds me that I don't live in the real world, and you know what? I'm thankful.

I've always been interested in film, so to get involved in any way in the genesis of making a film or music for a film is fascinating to me.

Having my own label, I have to look at things in a realistic, bottom-line manner.

Being able to have a home studio is the greatest thing ever.

I don't get too much enjoyment out of sitting around the campfire and looking at old photos. That's just not me. I don't get the thrill of doing that. So, I don't sit around listening to my old records.

I've always been in awe of filmmakers and their patience in realizing their vision because I could never do that.

To me, finding sounds, or even recording, is a compositional process. The studio is kind of an instrument.

The career high would be putting out a Kids of Widney High CD on my label, Ipecac Recordings.

I don't like to use toilets - ever.

You don't have to release everything you do. Some ideas need to just stay on the shelf.

The only way I can make sense of my music is to compartmentalize it as opposed to having one band that I have to throw everything into. For me, it's just more fun and more challenging to create little worlds where a song or a piece can make sense.

Sometimes a certain project will have a smell... It will have a little stench about it. That is a warning signal. You know it's going to be a nightmare. You know they are not going to like it, and it's not worth it.

Everything with Peeping Tom is kind of a guessing game. It's constantly exhilarating but also exhausting.

My tools are musicians, effects, things like that.

Hearing other peoples' interpretations of your lyrics, to me, is just a total kick in the pants. Half the time, they're better.