Quotes from John Rzeznik

The first guitar I ever owned was a Kay SG copy. That cost like $35. Man, that was a terrible guitar.

I mean my mother always wanted us to be individuals. She always instilled that into our brains which was incredibly painful for an adolescent to deal with.

Too many rockers put on the leather pants and shirt first. But if you write good songs, the pants and shirt will follow.

Sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm in control but that I'm going along for the ride. And I'm a lousy passenger; I love to drive.

I went to a vocational high school, which is where they basically train you to go out and dig ditches. You gotta learn a trade. Well, why do you gotta learn a trade? Because you're not smart enough to go to college. That was the underlying gist of it.

We had always put ballads on all of our albums.

It's nice to see bands you could see at a bar finally get a chance.

If you're really gonna live, you have to be vulnerable.

We're doing everything we can to help bands from Buffalo.

Never in my life have I met bigger rockstars than Sugar Ray.

We were never hip, which is fine with me. We aren't that interested in that whole situation. But all the times how we tried and failed to get across in our music, we actually succeeded on 'Superstar Car Wash.'

I really love Death Cab.

When I write a song, I want to write something that is really catchy and says something that might actually touch somebody.

I'm not trying to chase a radio hit, but at a certain time, you can't make the same album over and over.

I think people get a little resentful when they were there at the beginning, when they supported you when you played in front of nobody - which we still do. They get a little resentful when they have to share with new people. That's why I want to really look out for the people who've been with us from the beginning.

I've met very lonely people who have 10,000 friends on Facebook. And it's just not real. We've set up this artificial society in cyberspace. And that's supposed to be a community, like a real community. It's supposed to be where people go to get solace or friendship or have fun.

Things just evolve. I sort of have no control over what happens with the songs. Sometimes I'm afraid I might wake up one morning with an entire record of polka songs.

When I'm afraid of something, I'm going at it twice as hard. I don't believe any fear can be conquered by avoiding it.

It's a crazy world!

I want to cultivate my own sound in my own atmosphere, where the clock is not running.

I've taken a lot of crap. That's just the way life is. There are going to be writers who like you and writers who despise you.

Scars are souvenirs you never lose, the past is never far, did you lose yourself somewhere out there, did you get to be a star, and don't it make you sad to know that life is more than who you are?

So what if America loses its empire? We never should have had one in the first place.

I'm ashamed to say, but as a teen, there were times when I had to go to the church and get help.