Quotes About Artistry

I actually have heard of acts who only do their new album, and don't do their hits. I've never been in that mind set.

Whether you like modern incarnations of what country radio hits are, or you like what I'm doing, or you like something really off in folk, poetry Americana land, it's all just music, man. If you like one of them, great - go buy it.

We've never tried to write radio hits. If I hear our song on the radio, it's cool, and I'm proud, but it's never a goal.

The way I made 'Diamonds and Dirt,' which had all those hits in a row, was that I was just making a record. It was just the one that rolled up in my natural process, and it happened to be commercial.

I'm kind of a little allergic to that whole, 'Let's go to L.A. and write a bunch of hits.'

You've just gotta go in and write from the heart and write the best material that you can and put it out. If one hits, hey, great. It keeps the legacy going. But you've gotta keep doing new material. It's the future of any band.

I could make a PartyNextDoor album that's clean, all hits. That's not what I care about doing.

I no longer feel the pressure of trying to write hits for the radio anymore.

If you look at the big rock hits I've had - 'High on Emotion,' for example - the songs I write have to have a real meaning. There has to be depth.

Some of the biggest hits have had simple stories narrated beautifully.

As soon as you make anything that people like, you get all these new artists hitting you up like 'I want to sound just like Billie Eilish.' And I'm always like, 'Absolutely not.'

When I was a kid, one of my hobbies was as model-maker.

I write and record all the time; it's my hobby and my passion.

I thought 'Arnold Layne' was a nice name and fitted well into the music I had already composed. Then I thought, 'Arnold must have a hobby,' and it went from there.

Being a ballet dancer isn't cool. Football, boxing, hockey... they're cool. And you make more money.

I think the more you expose yourself as a celebrity, the less interesting you are to watch in your work, because if you're putting yourself out there all the time, you're not holding anything back.

It was always in me to just put records out. I don't like holding on to records.

I've got holes in my guitar.

I really like Billie Holiday's husky voice, and I'd definitely like to find out more about her.

I've made my own music, and the way I've always described it is Peggy Lee with an electric guitar, or Billie Holiday with some PJ Harvey in there.

I wanted to make a video for the holidays, but none of the traditional holiday songs were moving me.

I conduct myself as if I am a spaceman in Hollywood. I don't want to do anything fancy. I don't want people to send me free clothes. I just want to be grateful for this craft they let me do.

I think you have to show homage to creators.

As an actor, whether I'm playing Othello on stage or David Estes on 'Homeland,' that ability to give into your imagination is something that I enjoy.