Bassists

"I always looked at any instrument as just a tool, an expressive voice to write with. It even differs from guitar to guitar. Some guitars demand that you play them delicately and really respect the instrument, and some beg to be abused. Same with piano. I know with guitar, I'm intimate with it enough to know when I put my fingers here, it will sound like this. I prefer writing on piano because it's always a surprise."

"The drug issue is hard to separate from a class issue, an education issue, a wonky foreign policy issue, and a race issue. What I do know is, be it caffeine, alcohol, cocaine, or adrenaline, let's face it: people like to get high. From Starbucks to Budweiser to your own brain, everybody's a pusher these days. If I could substitute another drug to be consumed in the country as much as alcohol is, it would be helium from children's birthday party balloons. Try not laughing when someone sounds like a chipmunk!"

"I'm not the pawn to your king I'm not your world on a string I'm not anyone you'll beat I'm not anything"

"Now, now ... You don't mean that say you're sorry You don't mean that ... I'll make you sorry"

"I'm not your mother's favorite dog I'm not the carpet you walk on I'm not one small atomic bomb I'm not any any any anything at all."

"I'm a debut artist, I'm not established — nobody would write about it if they didn't like it. So I'm waiting for the next album for the backlash."

"I certainly owe a lot of awesomeness to blogs, to people who have been blogging about a show, or blogging about a single, or blogging about something. It's just amazing to me that it seems to be a nice equalizer. People don't necessarily need the clout of a big "record company machine" to put their face on a billboard. It seems more organic and honest in a lot of ways, for fans of music to be critics I suppose."

"Some songs I wrote that night, and some songs took nine months to arrange, get how I positioned them. Some songs I wrote parts of when I was twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen… Just putting it together, just finding the right place for it. So it's really been a long time coming. ... I'm actually really restless, in the sense that I'd rather be always making something new. I'm really excited about making a second record. I've got a lot of things up my sleeve, I guess."

"In a really great way, you simultaneously try to take up as little and as much space as possible."

"I enjoyed, and I tried to soak up and learn everything as fast as I could from doing any kind of music. It's good to have a gig. If you're a musician, it's good to be working. I love doing all of it, but Marry Me is my baby, St. Vincent is my child."

"I was recording with The Polyphonic Spree, recording The Fragile Army, and we were holed up in January in Minnesota at our studio. They called Mike in to play, and we just hit it off, in a really, really special way. Actually, the night after meeting and having a conversation with him, I sat down and I wrote "All My Stars Aligned". And I just kind of had an idea, "Wouldn't it be amazing if Mike Garson played? So the guy who played solo in Aladdin Sane, wouldn't it be amazing if this guy played this song?" And I wrote it, based on a conversation we had, but I didn't want to ask him, because I felt shy, and nervous, and everything. It was a few months later, actually, we kind of got in touch, and, 'Oh, what are you doing?', and I sent him a couple songs that I was working on. I sent him "Your Lips Are Red" and I sent him "All My Stars Aligned", just to show, you know, 'wink-wink, hint-hint, this is what I'm doing.' And he wrote me back, the things that we'd said, and asked to play on the record. So I was, 'Well, okay, if you insist…' That worked out pretty miraculously."

"The first thing I did when I picked up any instrument, when I was five years old, was write a song. It's kind of funny; I thought about it, statements that it's a "solo effort" — it's kind of like, "Oh, well I've been doing this since I was five." I was kind of doing this before I did anything else."

"What me worry? I never do. Life is one charming ruse for us lucky few.Have I fooled you, dear? The time is coming near when I'll give you my hand and I'll say, "It's been grand, but... I'm out of here I'm out of here""

"What me worry? I never do I'm always amused and amusing you"

"Sticks and stones have made me smarter it's words that cut me under my armor they say..."

"We are waiting on a telegram to give us news of the fall I am sorry to report dear Paris is burning after all We have taken to the streets in open rejoice revolting We are dancing a black waltz — fair Paris is burning after all."

"Leaden trumpets spit the soot of power they say "I'm on your side when nobody is, cause nobody is. Come sit right here and sleep while I slip poison in your ear""

"For those who just tuned in we're the Beatles!"

"Maybe if I point to my brain it will work."

"Fuck, you see some weird looking people around here."

"A Beer A Day Keeps The Doctor Away."

"Every Australian band wants to stick it to the Yankees."

"Buddy Holly was the geekiest looking guy in the world, but he had some really rockin tunes."

"You look like a perfect fit For a girl in need of a tourniquet."

"In the dark, I like to read his mind But I'm frightened of the things I might find."

"When I tell him that Im falling in love Why does he say "Hush, hush, keep it down now. Voices carry"?"

"I try so hard not to get upset Because I know all the trouble Ill get Oh, he tells me tears are something to hide And something to fear And I try so hard to keep it inside So no one can hear."

"He wants me, but only part of the time. He wants me if he can keep me in line."

"I look in your eyes I realize what you've sold me is love in a vacuum. Love in a vacuum."

"Living on silence, Living by the book. You get it to a science Of living on one good look. So put out all the fires And blow away the smoke. I'm getting pretty tired Of living on hope."

"Coming up close Everything sounds like welcome home. Come home and oh, by the way, Don't you know that I could make a dream that's barely half-awake come true? I wanted to say — but anything I could have said I felt somehow that you already knew."

"There's always something that's smoldering somewhere I know it don't make a difference to you But oh! It sure made a difference to me You'll see me off in the distance, I hope At the other end At the other end of the telescope."

"I should've known It was coming down to this. I should've known You would betray me but without the kiss. I should've known The kind of set-up it is."

"I don't know how to break the news, but It's pretty clear you'll be asked to choose between What you lack and what you excuse In this tug of war You can't say that they didn't warn you Though you'd rather that they just ignore you Cause your devices are not working for you anymore What you want, you don't know You're with stupid now"

"Though you pay for the hands they're shaking The speeches and the mistakes they're making As they struggle with the undertaking Of simple thought What you want, you don't know You're with stupid now What you know, you don't want to know You're with stupid now."

"In our endeavor we are never seeing eye to eye; No guts to sever so forever may we wave goodbye. And you're always telling me that it's my turn to move, When I wonder what could make the needle jump the groove. I won't fall for the oldest trick in the book, So don't sit there and think you're off of the hook. By saying there is no use changing 'causeThat's just what you are. That's just what you are."

"Oh, for the sake of momentum I've allowed my fears to get larger than life. And it's brought me to my current agendum Whereupon I deny fulfillment has yet to arrive.And I know life is getting shorter, I can't bring myself to set the scene. Even when it's approaching torture, I've got my routine."

"Now that I've met you, Would you object to Never seeing each other again? 'Cause I can't afford to Climb aboard you. No one's got that much ego to spend.So don't work your stuff, Because I've got troubles enough. No, don't pick on me When one act of kindness could be Deathly, Deathly, Definitely."

"The sex you're trading up for What you hope is love Is just another thing that He'll be careless of. But though there are caveats galore, You've only got to love him more — And you do; You really do. Even when it's all too clear."

"You're sure There's a cure. And you have finally found it. You think One drink Will shrink you 'til you're underground And living down. But it's not going to stop. It's not going to stop. It's not going to stop 'Til you wise up."

"You struck me dumb, Like radium Like Peter Pan, or Superman, You have come... to save me. Come on and save me... Why don't you save me? If you could save me, From the ranks of the freaks, Who suspect they could never love anyone, Except the freaks, Who suspect they could never love anyone, Except the freaks, Who could never love anyone."

"I can't do it, I can't conceive You're everything you're trying to make me believe 'Cause this show is too well designed Too well to be held with only me in mind And how, how am I different? How, how am I different?"

"I can't do it, and as for you Can you in good conscience even ask me to? 'Cause what do you care about the great divide As long as you come down on the winner's side?"

"They're all still on their honeymoon, Just read the dialogue balloon. Everyone loves you — Why should they not? And I'm the only one who knows That Disneyland's about to close. I don't suppose you'd give it a shot Knowing all that you've gotAre cigarettes and Red Vines. Just close your eyes, 'cause, baby — You never do know. And I'll be on the sidelines, With my hands tied, Watching the show."

"He's a serious mister Shake his hand and he'll twist your arm. With Monopoly money We'll be buying the funny farm. So I'll do flips, and get paid in chips From a diamond as big as the Ritz — Then I'm calling it quits."

"I'll tell you a secret I don't even know. Baby, there's something wrong with me Baby, there's something wrong with me Baby, there's something wrong with me That I can't see."

"Tell me why I feel so bad, honey Fighting left me plenty of money But didn't keep the promise of memory lapses Like a building that's been slated for blasting I'm the proof that nothing is lasting Counting to eleven as it collapses"

"You know it I know it Why don't you Just show it You got a lot of money but you can't afford the freeway"

"I thought my life would be different somehow I thought my life would be better by now But it's not, and I don't know where to turn"

"Little tornado You and the hurricane Close your eyes and go campaign Make it go faster Baby go faster Make it go twice the speed of you and me"