Cass McCombs Quotes

It's hard to make out the difference between insults and bad advice.

I think I prefer singing in falsetto. I like the way it sounds. It doesn't sound like my natural voice. It sounds like a character.

Try to keep your mind. Try not to eat bad, try not to wake up with too bad of a hangover.

Opinions only carry weight in the second or third person.

I project love, music and love, and I pray for peace. A good song cuts straight to the heart; sometimes it doesn't need to be too many lines - of course, I do love a good story.

I don't need to control anything. Even with romantic partnerships, I don't need to control anyone.

This is rock'n'roll, not classical music. It's about people working together.

As long as there are a few people there, I can lose myself, which is the ultimate goal. And that's happening more and more; the non-musical world is becoming less and less interesting to me.

Making music and art is about expressing something that's universally human, maybe even beyond human, at best.

People just wanna see someone talking about themselves constantly. I'm not interested in that.

You can't just explain a joke. Either it isn't funny, or the person just totally missed the punchline.

People expect not just songwriters but all personalities to pontificate about their egos.

It's not my way to talk about my feelings. They're impudent to myself, so it wouldn't make any sense if I tried to explain them to anyone else. I've never been to therapy - not interested in it.

I've always been interested in an idea of boundless love - an impersonal, big love.

I don't think anyone knows anything and I don't trust people who say that they do. Don't give me a plan, give me action.

With death comes a choice. And death is a choice.

I do like the word timeless. That's a great word.

It's the stupidest thing of all time, going on tour. It deteriorates the soul, but it's fun.

I don't live anywhere, so that's what's fun about tours.

All these biopics and biographies and people gossiping about so-and-so's drug abuse or who's sleeping with who, it's just a bunch of nonsense.

Dead men always have the last laugh. They win. They're dead. You can't hurt their feelings anymore.

People take things a little too personal. I write these songs, and they're experiments with thoughts. That's it. I'm not a teacher.

A lot of religious texts make for good reading. That's why they hold up.

I think I try to do a lot of things to weed out casual fans.

I've always thought about myself as somewhat of a folk musician. I just write words.

I don't think I'm even a musician. I don't play a lot of instruments, not really a soloist or anything.

When I'm trying to write a song for someone else, you can only see anything through your own eyes.

Usually there's no specific reason for loneliness - it's a broad feeling.

As it turns out, it's really expensive to make movies, much more than records.

When you're playing festivals, you only get a half-hour. It's like a meat market. You don't get to be artistic. You don't get to play music. It's called a showcase for a reason.

I don't like going to the studio. It just seems too cold. There's no crowd to react to, or share anything with; it's just talking into a microphone that's going into a computer.

When I was young, I used to go to Baha'i camp, and they taught me a lot about the equality of religions.

I have been singing as long as I can remember. I used to be in choir; I used to do musical theater. I'd prefer not to sing my own songs, but there you have it.

I hate my voice. I've never been comfortable singing.

It's just a joy to be able to work with a lot of different musicians. When you play with great musicians, whether they're schooled or self-taught, they keep you on your toes.

I was just a folk singer. I cut my teeth on the streets, you know.

I'm making music with my friends. It's fun. It should be fun. You shouldn't make music if it isn't fun.

Everyone wants to be well-loved and appreciated but, at the same time, there are some people that just don't want to be your friend, and there's nothing you can do or say to change that.

Elvis Presley wore a Star of David and a cross around his neck and, when someone asked him about it, he said, "It makes me think." I love that quote. It's simple. It's beautiful. It's true.

I just like writing lyrics. I find a little satisfaction in performing live, making records. But primarily, I just try to write every day.

I think it's worthwhile to expand your comfort level and just do something awful. I wasn't trying to make music for money.

I couldn't write a political song. There's just opinion; it's all arbitrary anyway. It's all subjective.

I grew up in the suburbs and was raised on rap radio, so it took me a long time to stumble upon the acoustic guitar as a resource for anything.

I don't really write for an album. I just write songs whenever I feel like it, whenever they come to me. It's all a complete accident.

I wouldn't go into the studio if I didn't have a band who's ready, willing, and able.

Folk art has never been much about politics; it's about action and utility.

I want to make something that's useful to someone, somewhere.

If it's possible to have an enemy without making it personal or moral, then that's what I'm trying to do.

I think I like singing when I'm singing live. It's just in the studio when it's a drag.

It doesn't mean that I'm overly enthusiastic about much music. Except the people that really touch me. It has to touch me, it has to grab a hold of me, I'm not looking for anything in particular.