Quotes About Authenticity

If you are AC/DC, you don't get credit for slow songs. And if you are doing a show about food with a blond dude with crazy blond hair and tattoos who drives a hot rod, of course everyone is going to think everything you eat is deep-fried.

I don't gotta act hard... People be getting face tattoos to act hard.

When you see a chick that's not the skinniest girl in the room, covered in tattoos, you go, 'That girl wants to stick it to the man.' But we don't give a damn about the man. At all. We just want to make music.

My mother and father just taught me the basics: to be really kind, to really listen to people. I have never been one to put on airs and graces.

We're all taught to blend in and behave.

I think music made me who I am. Music taught me what was gutter and what wasn't. Music taught me how to live.

Scorsese and De Niro taught me to bring out the natural side of myself. And they taught me to think of myself as the average guy. Sometimes the average guy belongs in a role more than your matinee idol-type of person. We have to have people we can relate to.

My mother taught me how to make Boston baked beans. People always buy pork and beans, but my mother will make them from scratch, because she learned as a bride and there's an art to it.

I'm one of those people who was taught not to ruffle any feathers. Of course, I have no problem ruffling feathers.

You really have to stay true to yourself, as cheesy as that sounds. And you cannot take no for an answer, and you have to dream big. I think that's the greatest thing my family ever taught me: if you're going to dream, you have to dream so big.

I'm no economist. I don't even play one on TV. I'm just a husband, a father, a taxpayer.

When someone is themselves through their music, it's soul music. James Taylor is soul music to me 'cause it's just him talking about him. It doesn't have anything to do with black or growing up in the church; it's where it comes from. It's just soul music.

I always feel as if I'm a disappointment: that people want a grand dame in furs like Barbara Taylor Bradford.

If I try to be Sean McVay, I'm going to fail, to be quite honest with you. We're different people. I've learned a lot from him, but I'm going to be Zac Taylor and do the best I can my way.

I can't think of any punk who's put on an acoustic and hasn't just tried to sound like James Taylor.

I love Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert - they write from the heart. But it's hard to find a country music lover in L.A. None of my friends really listen to it, and they hate getting in the car with me because I just blast Taylor Swift.

I try to stay away from talking about boys all the time. You can go to Taylor Swift to hear that.

Taylor Swift - I don't ever hear anything of hers where I'm like, 'Oh, so-and-so could've cut that.'

I have always liked Taylor Swift - there is just something about her that is very genuine and sweet. She also has naturally curly hair like me, so that's cool.

When I write music, I know a lot of artists like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran tend to write from personal experience. I write from personal experience, of course, but I don't limit myself to that.

I couldn't be a Taylor Swift. I would really suck at being Taylor Swift.

It might be interesting to people to say that I would do something with Taylor Swift, but the reality is, it's so not on my list of things to do.

Honestly, I don't really hear the comparisons to Taylor Swift anymore. I think it's because people are finally starting to see me for who I am and my craft and not being the next Taylor.

I don't play roles everybody likes. I'd rather have a career I'm proud of. Like everyone else, I need to eat. But I'm a very unbusinesslike person, and I keep my price low. I'm not a mass product. I'm not everyone's cup of tea.