Guitarists From The United States

"My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist in pre-war Paris Smuggling bombs for the underground. And she met my father at a fete in Aix-en-Provence; He was disguised as a Russian cadet in the employ of the Axis."

"There is genius and then there is madness and a fine line, it is said, divides them. One day you're recording a four-track demo tape of your own music in your sister's basement. Practically the next day, you're opening gigs for Metallica and your debut album is on fire, heading for platinum sales; that's madness. Genius, many people claim, is what got you there...at 17 years of age. -- David Lilly"

"Knowing what I know now, to see everything that he’s gone through, it’s a tough deal. Even if you’re successful, it’s just a different world. It’s not real. You’ve got to separate the business from what’s real. Failure is an event, not a person. -- Gary Meeks"

"Dancing with the wind: the fire burns, the water drowns."

"The key is so distant, I've opened doors. Know when to listen, know what to listen for."

"I've finally found the reason, I don't need an excuse. I've got this time on my hands, you are the one to abuse."

"Well, I'm not the same and I'm born again; it's the same ol' saying."

"I'm sick. It's passed down through my family. I am an addict. I'm sick."

"I'm a lot happier, man. I've been through so much shit. I've just let go. Ever heard of that term "Let Go"? Ever understood it?"

"I have nothing to hide."

"Why I’m telling you this is because that’s where this music comes from, that’s where my art comes from. You’re talking to a miracle; I am a miracle. I’m not halfway there, you know, dut-dut-dut-dut-da, drink a beer, hang out with my buddies, smoke a joint and get together with the band, wanna be a rock star; no. I am a very troubled individual who has been handed these obstacles in life, and overcome my fears to be honest with myself, so I can be honest with you. That’s not exploitation, it’s liberation."

"Don't look over your shoulder and don't use or abuse others to get ahead. Keep your eyes focused on your goals and keep working for what you believe in and what you want to accomplish."

"Somehow, you need to cling to your optimism. Always look for the silver lining. Always look for the best in people. Try to see things through the eyes of a child. See the wonder in the simplest things. Never stop dreaming. Believe anything is possible."

"Let me assure you, nothing in this life feels better than having the confidence that you can take care of yourself and your family and know that you can continue to grow and excel in your profession and as a person."

"Embrace every challenge you have, every person you meet, every place you visit, every task you succeed at, and especially those at which you fail. You will learn from them all. You'll learn about the world at large and about other people but most important, you'll learn about yourself."

"Dare to fail. If you never fail, you're never taken risks and that's no way to take on this life."

"Seize every opportunity you have to learn. Keep your eyes and ears wide open and seize life — don't let the moments slip through your fingers like a fistful of sand. Be your own teacher. Let life write your textbook."

"For me, success is being able to give back to your friends, your family, your community, those in need and the world entire."

"There is absolutely no substitute for hard work."

"I make beats like surgeons resume To stitch up your wounds Inside the emergency room They must work urgently or you'll permanently be in a tomb You see in the clergy soon I enjoy physical intimacy with young men"

"I'll break down a lesson Step by step Like a booklet for you to sweat And try to apply To make yourself fly"

"I'm on the drug I'm on the drug I'm on the drug that killed River Phoenix"

"I remember I was In the tanning salon When I heard that River Phoenix was gone They say that only the good die young But that ain't true where I come from California, California"

"No...Please don't go...No...Please don't leave yet You haven't heard my band yet You haven't seen my house You cannot understand yet What it means to be old River run River deep River come, So I can sing you to sleep."

"And they say he's too young to surrender And they cry out, and they call him by name. Their graffiti tells how he's remembered. Still, the River runs on just the same. Run River, run."

"Heroines followin' Marilyn hoppin' over the edge just like Janis Joplin, River Phoenix, Jimi Hendrix, James Morrison All of them ended by Hollywood. Thank God for Hollywood, Hollywood, Sure you want this baby?"

"We didn't know Jackie O She was one of the people that we did not know Nor did we care about her hair, Her pillbox hat or her savoir faire. But still we thought we knew Maybe you did too River Phoenix River Phoenix Ian curtis and River Phoenix and me and you"

"There's a River born to be a giver Keep you warm, wont let you shiver His heart is never gonna wither come on everybody time to deliver."

"They had a crush on you, River Blue suede jacket and boots, River And your face shaped like a moon, River You were like my own James Byron Dean Private idaho was my east of eden Hit me like a stone when you passed away On Halloween"

"It might take a few of these films before there's, like, a natural stride with the whole issue and then maybe one day it won't even be an issue, which is what I'm hoping."

"I'm a minor, stupid talent compared to my brother (Joaquin)."

"We are taught to consume. And that's what we do. But if we realized that there really is no reason to consume-that it's just a mind set, that it's just an addiction, then we wouldn't be out there stepping on people's hands climbing the corporate ladder of success. I have my reasons why I want to be filthy rich. It's so I can buy the last first growth forest and turn it into a permanent national park. I just bought 800 acres on the border of Panama and Costa Rica."

"It was very personal. Political comes from the viewing process. Nothing is ever political if it's genuine. In the reaction, yes, it can be political. But the motives were based completely on a deep need to communicate and share information. The film language has evolved enough that you should get people interacting with the film. It's exciting for us to exhibit it, and it's exciting for people to watch it...I think it's very important for the gay community to have random characters that represent nothing more than people...I think it's part of a wave that will set a precedent of some sort so that you will no longer need a label."

"I consider myself an atlas. Sort of an Arnold Schwarzenegger with a Nigel Tufnel twist. I walk close to edges; I kiss them with my toe."

"One of the things that was introduced to me at an early stage in life was to try to make stuff happen. But nothing ever worked that way for me. What I learned on my own was that to try and play God with your life will wreck your brain and your nervous system, and mess up your natural direction in the course that's already there...But look, I just don't want to read about me being made into a basket case because of my work. It's self-pity that I hate. I mean, it comes with the territory. An actor with any conviction goes the extra mile."

"Oh Yeah, we really are great people. I think Keanu and I are the nicest guys on the planet.. with the exception of George Bush and Ronald Reagan"

"I woke up from a nap the other night. Everyone is cranky when they wake up. I thought to myself: 'I have no right to be cranky. I'm so lucky.' On my way to go to a restaurant, I get out of the car and I see this person on crutches. His sign says that he has AIDS and that his immune system is low. You know, he's broke, and his family won't talk to him because they can't eat because of the hospital bills. He didn't do this. The system did it - so that when someone has a chronic disease, it sucks him dry. He could have been in that same restaurant two years ago, eating and tipping big. I felt blessed that I could drop a fifty on him."

"The business always goes for what you do best. When critics start speaking up and they believe in something then you have the power to get blow-jobs basically, from the corporate leaders. I mean, I've found myself being blown by America's film corporations. It's nice. I cum in their fucking lens."

"Fame doesn't affect my relationships with people much because I've got my head on straight, but there is some sort of undertone that has a weird effect when you're trying to walk through life – I'm not interested in seeing "the media" manifest itself in my life. I don't even like to call acting a career. I prefer to think of it as a project, or else I'd start worrying about things like money. I like contributing to causes, people and the world around me. Just kind of sharing it all, that's what's important."

"Fame is what gets people to go watch your film. I'm just glad to be in a film i believe in. And if it take's fame to get people there, then it's my job. But i'd rather be a ghost writer than have my name down."

"It's not about career. It's about believing in something, it's about prosperity. And it's about caring and empathizing and wanting to create the best, the most true to life, the most real."

"Sometimes I'll hear stuff like, 'Hey, man, where's your skateboard, dude,' from people who think I'm Christian Slater."

"When I was younger, I was dressed up like a model, told to pose in certain ways; to tilt my head, push my lips out, suck in my cheeks. And I'd be tired at the end of the day so I'd just give the damned photographer what he wanted. It was the most mortifying experience. And the photographs were the ugliest, the most contrived...it wasn't me. then all the outtakes that you never want to see again in your life go through the teen magazines forever."

"It's really designed, I think, to strip you and blend you. It's like feeling like the invisible man. You just stand there, and you start disintegrating, and you can't see yourself, and you just feel like you're being absorbed into this big blob of glitter."

"Quite often, when actors have such a strong charisma in real life, eventually it has to affect the characters they play. For myself I'm not charismatic in that way. I'm not a "performer". Ideally I would stay mute as River. That's the reason why, for a long time, I've said the opposite of what I really thought. In interviews, I've also played characters that I wasn't. I've lied and often contradicted myself to dumbfound people. It's all over now, because I have nothing left to hide. Eventually, I'm quite an ordinary person."

"It really upsets me and I'm basically upset at myself for being so naive and gullible as I have been in the past as far as being intimidated by the stylists with the wardrobe and the hair-do's and the poses and the this and that and all that stuff that isn't me. What it does is it makes you an image, and they plaster you on all these magazines and sensationalize and they're all very nice and sweet and goody-goody but still, it's just false as far as, you know, the image that's portrayed; it's not me."

"I can't on my own change the regime in South Africa or teach the Palestinians to live with the Israelis, but I can start with me."

"I welcome an end to this all if that's what should be, I don't mind that. In fact, I would rather quit while I was ahead. There's no need in overstaying your welcome."

"The press is always looking for a little twist to a story and what I've learned is that it all turns out very superficial. So you need to become what they want, you need to give what they put out."

"When you see the name 'River Phoenix' everywhere; you gotta, like, joke about it."