Stephen Malkmus Quotes (29 Quotes)

We're probably a couple of freaks who've created their own little universe, are living in our own little world and that's the only place where we can survive.

One day I'm going to write a straight-ahead story. I really want to, but I can't at the moment. I'm not very good at it right now.

There's no point that an album should sound like a watered down version of another album.

What producers did was mostly recording in the studio, so it never changed our sound just that much.

If a voice is just too nice, without an edge, it kinda all flows by. You forget it. You don't listen to the lyrics.

Well, yeah, I sang to some songs on the radio or in the shower.

The lyrics are different from Nick Cave songs and lyrics. His songs are very narrative.

We're realistic about knowing that we're not out to hit the mainstream, ... We're trying to make great music for the time, but not to make timeless music. You just try to make something special.

Primarily I was doing the music here alone in the house, anyway, with the drummer. He helped with the engineering and plays on almost every song.

We just wanted to make something that we thought was beautiful-sounding and special, ... but how do you go about doing that I don't know. But as far as sound goes, I don't worry about that. It takes care of itself.

I'm not sure if you can blame everything on the American way of life, but the United States are big. So, if you have a lot of people there, the percentage of stupid people is bound to be higher.

Almost every band has somebody who's the main songwriter and who has a vision, a very clear idea of how a song should be.

If I was a betting man, ... I'd say the malls of America wouldn't embrace our type of music anyhow. Let's just say we're a discriminating-palate kind of band.

We're not on a desperate mission to write chart compatible stuff.

Act like you deserve to win, trade up for a thicker skin.

I'm more into describing a scenario and I move around in that scenario.

But, then again, I wouldn't call myself an indie-rock supporter even if there are some really good bands out there and there will always be some real good new bands.

I guess the majority of people who want to ban certain musicians are the ones who are so proud of everything America stands for.

Lou Reed is something like a personal favorite of mine, but you could always put me into that drawer of singers who can't really sing, who speak their songs.

If you want to be negative about the whole thing you can say all guitar bands after the Beatles were just a waste of time because the Beatles were the best. I think it's far better to give new records a try.

I don't even think my voice is really good.

In a way, we're the third generation of American rock music. It all came from the black rhythm and blues and then developed from there.

I never decided to start singing, to be a singer.

A good voice isn't so important. It's more important to sound really unique.

I really do think everybody can sing.

I think the focus of the media changes. At the moment the more electronic stuff like trip-hop was the flavor of the month, just a little while ago. It all depends on the angle, from which point of view you see it.

We always did our own mixing.

I like that band Get Hustle. They're cool live. I haven't heard their records, though.

We were delighted to have Nigel as a producer. The only problem is that Nigel is so famous that he seems to dominate most interviews without being there.