Ambition is sneered at by some bands. It seems like a pretty good thing to me.
Ambition is sneered at by some bands. It seems like a pretty good thing to me.
[Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray] It's a memorable book. Especially to emotionally rep...
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[Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray] It's a memorable book. Especially to emotionally repressed teen with asthma and eczema.
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I'm extremely un-nostalgic; when I ride my bike, I never look over my shoulder, because if I do, I'l...
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I'm extremely un-nostalgic; when I ride my bike, I never look over my shoulder, because if I do, I'll fall off. That's exactly how I feel about being in my band. [...] If I look over my shoulder too much, I'm gonna fall off. I have no intention of doing so.
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It doesn't matter how adventurous you want to be, you've still got to contain your identity.
It doesn't matter how adventurous you want to be, you've still got to contain your identity.
Ideally, musicians belong outside the Establishment. When they cross that line, it's like something ...
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Ideally, musicians belong outside the Establishment. When they cross that line, it's like something in them has died.
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Maybe 'Can't Stop Feeling' and 'Turn It On' we'll just release as singles. It's a thing The Beatles ...
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Maybe 'Can't Stop Feeling' and 'Turn It On' we'll just release as singles. It's a thing The Beatles used to do which I really loved, the idea of releasing something as a single completely on its own.
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Just because you can leap off a drum kit doing a scissors kick while hitting a chord, people expect ...
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Just because you can leap off a drum kit doing a scissors kick while hitting a chord, people expect you to be an extrovert socially. But I'm not always comfortable with the idea of small talk at a party.
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Men behave very oddly in the company of attractive women.
Men behave very oddly in the company of attractive women.
I'd rather eat a cow-pat on a bun than a bloody McDonalds.
I'd rather eat a cow-pat on a bun than a bloody McDonalds.
Being drunk on eBay is a dangerous game.
Being drunk on eBay is a dangerous game.
I didn't grasp the basic principle of being a promoter, which was: Put on music but also generate an...
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I didn't grasp the basic principle of being a promoter, which was: Put on music but also generate an income. I was on the dole most of the time.
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When I do karaoke, I drink too much then try and do songs that are outside my range. In Tokyo, I tri...
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When I do karaoke, I drink too much then try and do songs that are outside my range. In Tokyo, I tried to sing "Heart of Glass" and panicked. But I enjoyed it.
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[on a common misconception that youth originated rock'n'roll] It's a misinterpretation of what rock'...
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[on a common misconception that youth originated rock'n'roll] It's a misinterpretation of what rock'n'roll is. You can trace that to the very beginning, right back to Bill Haley who invented rock'n'roll. Even in the psychedelic era Timothy Leary was a middle-aged man who probably had more influence than Roger Daltrey. It's not the age, but it's the vividness of ideas.
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There's a difference between expectations and aspirations.
There's a difference between expectations and aspirations.
I am currently at the hospital being well looked after. My eyes and throat have swollen to unnatural...
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I am currently at the hospital being well looked after. My eyes and throat have swollen to unnatural proportions, but everything else is OK. [Twitter user: Your penis still tiny then?] It only grows to its full size when I'm with yer maw.
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There's a character that I play onstage, and I can't let him loose in the supermarket when I'm buyin...
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There's a character that I play onstage, and I can't let him loose in the supermarket when I'm buying my beans on toast.
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Of course, there's a certain type of person who feels that anything which becomes mainstream has to ...
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Of course, there's a certain type of person who feels that anything which becomes mainstream has to be rejected immediately. And that's part of the indie-alternative snobbery and hierarchy and elitism.
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I adore the flamboyance of Freddie Mercury, the riffs and beats of Led Zeppelin and what Pete Townsh...
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I adore the flamboyance of Freddie Mercury, the riffs and beats of Led Zeppelin and what Pete Townshend "did with his legs as he held his guitar". I prefer singles to LPs. I unashamedly love a good pop tune from "Blitzkrieg Bop" to "Push the Button" or Nelly Furtado's amazing new song, "Maneater". I despise ELP (Emerson Lake and Palmer), Yes and Marillion less for their unrestrained self-indulgence than for just being boring.
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A lot of food criticism has a similar flavour to it, and I'm probably going to write about it in a d...
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A lot of food criticism has a similar flavour to it, and I'm probably going to write about it in a different way.
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I think a lot of bands are creatively knackered when they come off tour.
I think a lot of bands are creatively knackered when they come off tour.
[Fan on Twitter: Can't wait to see you on Monday! If you see a girl having an asthma attack, it'll b...
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[Fan on Twitter: Can't wait to see you on Monday! If you see a girl having an asthma attack, it'll be me :)] I'll lend you my inhaler.
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Arty. To me the word's got as much venom associated with it as 'wacky'.
Arty. To me the word's got as much venom associated with it as 'wacky'.
The best songwriting comes from being as creative as you can and editing it down to the good bits, e...
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The best songwriting comes from being as creative as you can and editing it down to the good bits, essentially.
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[on what Franz Ferdinand are looking for in a new member] They must really like cats.
[on what Franz Ferdinand are looking for in a new member] They must really like cats.
[Hi Alex, what are you gonna be for Halloween this year?] I presume I'll be dressing up as the guy f...
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[Hi Alex, what are you gonna be for Halloween this year?] I presume I'll be dressing up as the guy from Franz Ferdinand again.
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Dub Step is dance music for people who don't like dancing.
Dub Step is dance music for people who don't like dancing.
I'm not a food critic, and I'm not really an authority to write anything on food.
I'm not a food critic, and I'm not really an authority to write anything on food.
There are loads of bands I'd love to produce.
There are loads of bands I'd love to produce.
I was never very good at smoking. Just did it to show off and annoy my mum.
I was never very good at smoking. Just did it to show off and annoy my mum.
Why play a chord when you can play one note?
Why play a chord when you can play one note?
While you may come to a point in your life when you have consciously rejected belief systems, you st...
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While you may come to a point in your life when you have consciously rejected belief systems, you still have the spiritual urge or desire to have it all explained to you. There are various different ways in which the landmarks of our life change. It happens throughout your life.
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Being in a band didn't buy me my beans on toast!
Being in a band didn't buy me my beans on toast!
Although they might not admit it, I think girls are very aware of the impact that they're having. Bu...
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Although they might not admit it, I think girls are very aware of the impact that they're having. But they never feel it themselves, and it's impossible to explain. It's like trying to tell a blind person what yellow is.
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I think in the world of indie music there's this sort of false modesty.
I think in the world of indie music there's this sort of false modesty.
If you've always thought hell is other people, just wait until they bring their children round.
If you've always thought hell is other people, just wait until they bring their children round.
It's easy to be lazy when there's food lying around backstage or there's a fast-food joint a couple ...
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It's easy to be lazy when there's food lying around backstage or there's a fast-food joint a couple blocks away. But if you walk a little further, ask around a bit, of course there are exciting things to discover.
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Boho to me is a first-year student who's just discovered the tie-dye shop.
Boho to me is a first-year student who's just discovered the tie-dye shop.
You can only begin to be great when you embrace a sense of your own ridiculousness.
You can only begin to be great when you embrace a sense of your own ridiculousness.
No matter what you do, if you're trying to create something new, your environment has a massive impa...
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No matter what you do, if you're trying to create something new, your environment has a massive impact on you.
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I really want it to have an impact on the world. I want to be in a town on the other side of the wor...
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I really want it to have an impact on the world. I want to be in a town on the other side of the world, and somebody walks up and says, 'That music you made in Glasgow, I listened to it every day, and it moved me.'
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Cinema, which is influenced by every single part of life, is direct and reaches you immediately. And...
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Cinema, which is influenced by every single part of life, is direct and reaches you immediately. And writing - the best writing is complex ideas communicated concisely. And music - if it's a good tune, make sure people can bloody hear it.
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If I was a fan of someone as a teenager, then it's OK for me to feel completely in awe when I meet t...
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If I was a fan of someone as a teenager, then it's OK for me to feel completely in awe when I meet them.
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The internet is like a gossipy girls' locker room after school, isn't it?
The internet is like a gossipy girls' locker room after school, isn't it?
If success had come along when I was 17 it would either have killed me or sent me completely mad.
If success had come along when I was 17 it would either have killed me or sent me completely mad.
I'm obsessed with grammar, not by grammar.
I'm obsessed with grammar, not by grammar.
A lot of bands have the enthusiasm kicked out of them by playing really dreary pub venues that just ...
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A lot of bands have the enthusiasm kicked out of them by playing really dreary pub venues that just churn bands through.
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[Fan on Twitter: You love your inhaler?] Need, not love. [Fan: Inhaler upset :(]
[Fan on Twitter: You love your inhaler?] Need, not love. [Fan: Inhaler upset :(]
Relevancy is a phrase I can't really comprehend. The people who struggle with it most are people who...
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Relevancy is a phrase I can't really comprehend. The people who struggle with it most are people who define their selves by their age. When I look at the front row of audiences and I see they're thick with people in their mid-teens, I'm fascinated by it because I think, 'Wow, you can't be here because you bought our first record because you would have been five'.
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Boredom or being sick of what you've done before is a big part of being in a band.
Boredom or being sick of what you've done before is a big part of being in a band.
Surely every band wants to be a pivotal point in history.
Surely every band wants to be a pivotal point in history.
I want to make music that will make the blood surge in your veins, music that will get people up and...
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I want to make music that will make the blood surge in your veins, music that will get people up and dance.
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You really only understand whether a song's good or not when you properly play it out in public for ...
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You really only understand whether a song's good or not when you properly play it out in public for the first time.
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[on Twitter] OK. Seven minutes Q&A. Let's go! [Bob Hardy: When's dinner?] There's still some snacks ...
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[on Twitter] OK. Seven minutes Q&A. Let's go! [Bob Hardy: When's dinner?] There's still some snacks on the table, Bob. Will they do? [Bob Hardy: Pfff.] Do you want to eat before you go onstage? You know it makes you sleepy.
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[on the death of Bo Diddley] It's rotten news about Bo Diddley. When I heard it I put 'Road Runner' ...
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[on the death of Bo Diddley] It's rotten news about Bo Diddley. When I heard it I put 'Road Runner' on the record player. What a riff. What a guitarist - totally revolutionised the way the instrument was played with that loose sexy rhythm.
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It's very rare that a song falls from your mind complete.
It's very rare that a song falls from your mind complete.
[a fan complains about his new haircut making him look "quite old"] I am quite old, and quite happy ...
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[a fan complains about his new haircut making him look "quite old"] I am quite old, and quite happy to be so, thank you very much.
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Glasgow's not a media centre. When you're there, when you're hanging about, you feel quite detached ...
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Glasgow's not a media centre. When you're there, when you're hanging about, you feel quite detached from musical movements or fashions or anything like that. You do feel quite alone, in a good way.
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Traditionally, lots of vagrants and unemployable characters wind up working in kitchens.
Traditionally, lots of vagrants and unemployable characters wind up working in kitchens.
People's musical tastes are fickle, and music can be a fashion.
People's musical tastes are fickle, and music can be a fashion.
