It’s good to wander into the studio and walk out with something that’s better than you’d imagined it to be. If everything was as you imagined it to be, it just wouldn’t be as much fun.
I once received a cape that was made from the little purple bags that Crown Royal Whisky comes in.
Who’s to say what’s a good voice and not a good voice?
Usually, when Nirvana made music, there wasn’t a lot of conversation. We wanted everything to be surreal. We didn’t want to have some contrived composition.
Actually, I didn’t start sweating until I had children.
I had never been in charge of anything. I’d always worked for someone. I worked for a furniture warehouse. I did masonry. I always had a boss yelling at me. So I’d never been in charge of an organization.
CBGB represents a lot to New York City and to underground rock and to new wave and post-punk and whatever. But, you know, it’s like tearing down the Jefferson Memorial or something.
You will only be great at things you love to do don’t pursue a career in something you hate to do.
I love everything about my job, except being away from the kids.
I think my biggest musical hero growing up was probably Ian MacKaye. He set a great example for all of us local musicians. Still, to this day, I see him as the best example of a right-on musician.
Going out and playing music – that’s what I do. I don’t do much else.
I think that if you’re passionate about something and you’re driven and you’re focused, then you can pretty much do anything that you want to do in life.
A lot of people from my generation of music are so focused on playing things correctly or to perfection that they’re stuck in that safe place.
Whenever I say I made a record in the garage, people just assume that I have, like, a Lear jet parked in there or something. But really there’s old luggage, a couple of bikes. It’s big enough to put one minivan in. That’s it. No dartboard. I’m so not macho.
It’s not until recently that I could even imagine myself as an adult. But these kids today, they look at me like I’m Neil Young. Nirvana is the band their parents listen to.
Be someone’s light when they are hopeless.
It’s important to me that people feel connected to the band through the music, you know? I don’t want it to be wallpaper. I don’t want it to be background music. I want it to be clear: This is the song. These are the words. If you feel the same way as I do, sing it as loud as you can.
If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s gathering people together to do something fun.
When I listen to the radio, I just hear so much music that doesn’t even sound like people. The vocals are all tuned, and the drums are all fake.
When you’re young, you’re not afraid of what comes next. You’re excited by it.