Guitarists From The United States

"One thing that is clear, it's all downhill from here."

"If life but a dream, then WAKE ME!'"

"You're solid gold, I'll see you in hell."

"There's no one here And people everywhere You're on you're own."

"Risk nothing, get nothing. If you wanna be famous, then it's OK if the music is fake, because fame isn't real."

"But I like to be a real man because I have a son and a daughter and they should know what that's like. It's OK to not be macho. But it's not OK to be a pussy."

"You can't upstroke yourself into toughness."

"But the truth is, I don't have ADD. I have OKHY: OK, hell yeah."

"In Kyuss and Queens, we allow people to tape our shows, whether it's audio, video or both. You're doing that tonight, but you're no different than someone who buys the ticket. Because the exchanging of music is what should happen. It's one of the only things I like about The Grateful Dead, it's "do you want a tape from '67 on June 2nd? You can get one". I probably wouldn't like the music on the tape, but it's still possible. My problem is that people sell our live shows for too much money. They should be the cost of the video and shipping. And in turn, MP3 take a record that I've spent money and time and put so much love into, take it, and just give it away. But they make the money. MP3 and Napster, they make tons of money, but they say "Oh, it's about free exchange!", but that just sounds like just another jack-off thief in the dark, that doesn't have guts enough to admit what they're doing. I had someone say something interesting to me in Canada, "Well, would you rather have the label fuck you over, or the fans fuck you over?". And I just said, "Neither!". And when it gets posed to me in such a way I sit there and think, "You know, what am I doing? Maybe I should skip through the countryside, playing flute (?)". Because MP3 certainly is like [stabbing sound and motion]. If you're an unsigned band, then it really helps, but then, you know? I don't wanna censor anyone, and I'm no one's daddy, I'm not going to monitor the internet, but I think there's a moral side to it too; I don't steal from you, you don't steal from me. Seems fair, you know?"

"It's like catching a fish, you know what I mean? It's the fish that's beautiful, not the fisherman. And I think whoever hasn't understood that attitude in Queens is not here any more. And if I ever think the fisherman's better than the fish, I hope someone fuckin' fires me too."

"...but I'm also a father, a husband and a raging alcoholic..."

"(In response to the question; "What are you going to tell a ten year old who wants to play guitar?") For me that's easy; when you expect anything from music, you expect too much. So you play for yourself, you play to enjoy it and you make the most of it for you, period. You don't - I never thought I would be doing this now. I feel so lucky to be doing this now - I can't believe this is what I do all the time. I know I'm not the greatest guitar player in the world, but I just love it. And I hope that's the only reason I'm here, you know? Because I think - I honestly think that that's enough."

"I THINK OF INTERSCOPE AND ALL THESE LABELS AS THE BIGGEST FUCKING IDIOTS ON THE PLANET. And print that in capitals, because they can’t do anything to me."

"And the fact of the matter is that everyone should play music because it's such a beautiful gift. It's my religion. But maybe not everyone should play it in front of me. It's okay to play music in your rocking chair or whatever."

"I'm also beyond pissed, as in not pissed, because I kinda figure they just don’t know better by now. It’s like when a dog shits in the house, you can hit 'em with a paper but they really don’t know what the fuck happened. How can retarded kids know to not throw a Frisbee at the forehead of another retarded kid?"

"My favorite music is hooky, quirky, arty, dark, surprising, heavy, groovy, soft, emotional but not emo. It wears a sweater because it’s cold, not because it's stylistically there."

"I think that provided us to do it this time, because it's like okay, we've cleared that air, you know, we're friends and we respect that he's the best rock drummer in the world, you know. You can be as good, but you’re not better than Dave Grohl."

"[In response to the question "This record will probably be bigger than the last one, which was bigger than the one before, and so on. How big do you want to be?"] Man, I don't really give a shit. I mean... you know, let me just break it down; I love to play, I'm from a small town in the desert, I never thought I would be here and I just wanna play, man. I don't care if it's big or small, you know? Like, Nick is gone and that affects me the most, because I didn't want it to be that way. And some people are going to be like "Well, I don't like it now!" and to them I say fucking goodbye. This is goodbye. Let me be the first to say it, goodbye. Because all I'm doing is just wanting to just play. I just love to play music, and I like people, you know. And there's all kinds of things that get... shoved into that along the way, but that's not alright with me, you know? So, I want to say most of all, like, I'm just going to just show up and play. I'll let everyone else deal with that because I've already dealt with the hard part, you go ahead and deal with the easy part, whether you want to listen or not. And either way; I understand. Because, when it comes to the Queens, whatever everyone else is dealing with, I've dealt with it already, man. So I'll either be drinking with people after the show or not and it's going to be five, five thousand, five million, or five - I don't give a shit. Because I'm really proud of this record and I put a lot into it, I put what I am into it and after that I can't control it. It's not up to me, it's up to you, you know? And I'm okay with that because when I left the studio I knew I loved this stuff and I got to save my friendship, and both of that is a victory, you know? And the rest is up to you, and I'm okay with that too. So let's get it on."

"[On "grunge"] Music's music, and the weird thing is Brant [Bjork] has said this before; Soundgarden and those bands and Nirvana, those are great bands, but they did not create rock and roll. This whole "grunge" bullshit that everyone's talking about. "Oh my gosh, it's amazing!", they did not create rock and roll! It is rock and roll music. It's good rock and roll, that's all it is. They did not start something, they don't corner the market on anything. [...] I think it's a shame, because it's a great media tool and it worked. Like, whoever thought of the word "grunge" should be rich by now because it's a great media trip, you know? But it's just all good rock and roll; Soundgarden, Nirvana, all these bands are just good rock and roll bands. People spend too much time categorizing what everything is. Just throw it on your turntable, throw it on you CD player or whatever you have and listen to it. Don't worry about what it is - no one cares, it doesn't matter anymore, you know? That's what should have happened, it shouldn't matter anymore what you are. There's so many, like, "fusion" everything and whatever that it shouldn't matter anymore, you know?"

"Yeah, I can make all the tequila in a bottle disappear. It’s a talent. Nothing comes easy and talent is something you get but, if you don’t develop it, it becomes like an apple; you keep taking bites of it until it’s gone. So you have to plant the seeds. Then you have the orchard. And then you have Jonestown.’"

"Whenever someone says, 'We're all one,' I've always been like 'No we're not, and that's what's great, so stop saying that or everyone's gonna start believing you.' But yeah, as we all look at the same projection on the wall, we do become one, and I started to realize the horror of that. And I make no attempt to try to alter it from being that; my thing is more about trying to apply some principles of magic—how to walk between the raindrops—and take advantage of a situation like that, because it’s the only choice you have."

"My years of reading P.T. Barnum is finally coming into play. [snaps fingers] This notion of saying nothing, of keeping a secret, and doing it in a way that's not elitist but that's like, You wanna come in here and hear? [whispers] We have a secret. That's all that I can tell you. But you're involved. You know?"

"Music is the best way that I know to say the things that are difficult to say in English. Words get in the way sometimes."

"I am not a perfectionist at all. I love failure. I love mistakes. I love the bizarre. I love characters. I love missing teeth. I love beauty because your eyes are off-center. And how can you notice that in the buzz of the city? So I like the emptiness."

"I think now is the best thing that you’ll ever get, and that’s all you’ll ever get."

"Music is my religion."

"I get scared all the time. I try not to let it have any impact on the decision of whether to do it or not. I think you can separate yourself from your fears. You know what you should do, and it’s just scary to do it. But I’d hate to let the fact that I’m scared to do it make me not do it. It ends up defining you."

"The rules were always there. There was always one rule; don't break the golden rule, which is if someone says that they love your music, so they love you and you're amazing; you're not amazing. You're not amazing. It's not you, they don't know you, you know? It's not that way. So don't believe that. I don't believe that about myself, and I don't believe when someone likes me too much or hates me too much. I don't believe they know what they're talking about."

""Punk fusion"… "metal", "alternative"… "grindcore". What the hell is all that stuff?"

"Hey you, with the stupid fuckin' tattoo. This ain't a place to fight, you dipshit. You wanna fight, go to a gay bar. Go to a fuckin' gay bar if you wanna fight, you understand? 'Cause I will fuck you in the ass. Ik pak je klootzak, ik pak je vieze lul! Got me? You better, or you'll get me. Alright, this song goes out that that asshole. Everybody party and have a good time, fuck that dick. Let's do this."

"Music is never wrong. You might not like it, but it’s never wrong. It's such a great way of explaining stuff."

"Well, I come from a long, long line of smartasses. Smartass is allergic to dumbass. It’s actually a physical allergy, as in you’re repulsed by dumbasses."

"(in response to someone shouting "I miss Nick (Oliveri)") Well, if you miss Nick, you can go out to the parking lot and go fuck yourself. Maybe you should get started immediately. And maybe if you're really lucky, he'll beat the shit out of you too. Because that's what he likes to do to girls, so maybe you can go miss him, I dunno... Do you feel satisfied about making you comment now? Are you happy that everyone looked at you and know what you look like? See that, Jesus Christ. Yeah, I remember my first beer too."

"New Zealand interviewer: What's it like for you guys, has it been "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll", that stuff?"

"Never heckle Joshua Michael Homme III."

"This is my fuckin' stage!"

"She'd rather wear a pair of cut-off jeans Than an evening dress. And with the windows rolled down, And her hair blowin all around, Well, she's a hot Southern mess.She'd take a beer over white wine. A campfire over candle light. And when it comes to love, Her idea of a romantic nightIs listenin' to old Alabama And driving through Tennessee A little "Dixieland Delight" and "The Right Time of the Night", And she can't keep her hands off of me."

"You can blend in in the country; You can stand out in the fashion world Being invisible to a white tail and irresistible to a redneck girl. Camouflage, Camouflage Oh you're my favorite color Camouflage."

"We didn’t care if people stared; We’d make out in a crowd somewhere. Somebody’d tell us to get a room; It’s hard to believe that was me and you. Now we keep saying that we’re OK. But I don’t want to settle for good not great. I miss the way that it felt back then; I wanna feel that way again."

"West Virginia-born Telecaster shredder Brad Paisley is one of the most electrifying live performers in country music. His extraordinary skill on a Telecaster ranges from traditional country phrasing to some pretty out-there work, and from delicate clean-tone passages to dizzying solo flights that once earned him a description in Guitar One magazine as “Eddie Van Halen on cornbread.”"

"Everyday is a revolution. Welcome to the future."

"Now you're my whole life; Now you're my whole world. I just can't believe The way I feel about you girl. Like a river meets the sea, Stronger than it's ever been. We've come so far since that day, And I thought I loved you then."

"All you really need this time of year Is a pair of shades And ice cold beer. And a place to sit somewhere near Water."

"You're probably thinkin’ that you're gonna change me; In some ways well maybe you might. Scrub me down, dress me up. Oh but no matter what, Remember, I'm still a guy."

"I'd like to see you out in the moonlight. I'd like to kiss you way back in the sticks. I'd like to walk you through a field of wildflowers. And I'd like to check you for ticks."

"Online, I’m out in Hollywood. I’m 6 foot 5 and I look damn good. Even on a slow day, I could have a three way, Chat with two women at one time. I’m so much cooler online; Yeah, I’m cooler online."

"And I started wondering who he was going to be And I thought heaven help us if hes anything like me. He'll probably climb a tree to tall and ride hes bike to fast; End up every summer wearin something in a cast. He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street. He's gonna get in trouble, oh he's gonna get in fights. I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep. It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me."

"And oh you got so much going for you, going right. But I know at 17 it's hard to see past Friday night. I wish you'd study Spanish, I wish you'd take a typing class. I wish you wouldn't worry, let it be. I'd say have a little faith and you'll see. If I could write a letter to me."

"I know she's not perfect but she tries so hard for me And I thank god that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be? It's the little imperfections, it's the sudden change in plans. When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holdin' hands. Yeah I live for little moments like that."

"When she's layin' on my shoulder on the sofa in the dark And about the time she falls asleep, so does my right arm. And I want so bad to move it, 'cause it's tinglin' and it's numb; But she looks so much like an angel that I don't wanna wake her up. Yeah I live for little moments When she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it. Yeah I live for little moments like that."