Art Alexakis Quotations

My favorite drive is Highway 101 in California between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. I love the 101; Highway 1 is too windy, and 5 is too boring - the 101 is just right. It's like the Mama Bear of scenic drives.

Being a child that grew up with a single mom back in the '70s, Father's Day to me was always a very uncomfortable time. At school, we would make Father's Day cards for our dads, and I usually mailed one to my dad, and he hardly ever responded.

I've always loved aggressive, hard, noisy, yet melodic bands, and at the same time I've always loved 'Blue' by Joni Mitchell.

I have my dark side like anybody, you know, depression, anxiety... and I write about gritty, real-life stuff.

Being a parent is not just about how you treat your child; it's also about how you treat the other parent. If you treat that person with respect, that's fine, that's the way to go. But if you don't, you're not being the parent you could be.

Forgiveness is hard for me, man. It is for most American-Western males. It's a sign of weakness.

I'm a pretty tenacious person; I get that from my mom. So sometimes, I use dark humor. I can't take myself too seriously.

People's perceptions of me have nothing to do with reality. I'm basically just your average dork.

I don't talk about my past; people ask me about it. I've done things I'm ashamed of, but one thing I can honestly say is that things I've done that I regret, I've never done twice. I work really hard at that.

Being a musician, especially at the major label where you work for so long, it becomes a cycle. Write a record, make a record, tour. It's just this cycle, and I don't think there's any life built into it with time to assimilate what's going on in front of you and what's going on in your head.

I like older people; I think older people have a lot of flavor.

Do not trust anybody but yourself. If people want to help you, fine. Put it on paper and understand exactly what every word says.

I have a pet peeve about bands that don't play their hits. I think it's kind of selfish.

'Santa Monica' was a big song, and I always knew it would be radio friendly. But it's not a defining song for me, though for a lot of people it is.

Fatherhood, both times for me, was a choice.

I like Nirvana, but I couldn't say that I was influenced by them. I like to tell a story.

I'm a 'Power of Now' kind of guy, always have been. I don't really hang on to a lot of pictures. I have pictures of my daughters.

Success to me is being able to do what I love, make a living at it and to support myself and the ones I love.

The thing I love about Myspace is it's a safe place where I can talk to fans every day.

When some people get angry, they turn into victims, but when I get angry, I turn to action.

You don't have control of the car, but you can drive it. Life takes you where it wants you to go and where you need to go.

I'm a 50-year-old guy making music for over 20 years. I've been writing songs since I was 20, so it's really been 30 years, and it's always been personal, but I've always told stories.

That's what I think our jobs as parents are, to educate as much as possible... I tell them to follow their bliss. The people who follow their bliss in this world tend to be the more happier people.

I wish I could come home to a life that looks like a TV show. I wish I could see my television family waiting for me, where no one fights and no one screams, no one lies and no one leaves.

My goal is to make my kids as happy as possible.

My frustration has always been that I'm a Christian, but I don't buy into, never have bought into, the belief that Jesus and God are these men who just dictate that this is how you have to live your life or you are going to burn in hell.

One of the things about being a boy, especially growing up without a father, is you really don't have that role model to teach you how to do things.

I'd actually like to make a country album one day. One of my idols is Neil Young, because he's kept himself from being bored.

I love Australia! I got a boot thrown at me there.

I think The Police made five great records and then called it a day. They went out on top.

I think Everclear is a weird combination of a singer-songwriter and a hard-rock band. That's why some people really dig the band, and some don't.

I saw Cheap Trick play 'In Color,' and it was awesome.

People have had the idea to do a '90s alternative tour for a long time. I didn't come up with that; I was the first guy to basically say it was time.

I think I write very good songs. But I don't know if anybody could record my songs with as much fervor. They sound good sung by me, and they especially sound good with my band.

Maybe I'll work for a label someday, write some fiction, nonfiction. Someday I'd like to go back to school and get my teaching degree. I want to be a grandpa. I want to have more kids.

I grew up in a family full of yellers. People screaming and chaos goin' on, I feel right at home in it. I've really worked on myself with anger management. I try to save that for the stage.

Being a child that grew up with a single mom back in the 70s, Fathers Day to me was always a very uncomfortable time. At school, we would make Fathers Day cards for our dads, and I usually mailed one to my dad, and he hardly ever responded.

For the most part, I don't like people who soapbox.

I loved hard-rock bands, and I loved songwriters who told stories.

I think the fact that Napster is stealing recorded music is something that we have to stop. It's taking money out of my kid's mouth. That's the way I look at it. It's wrong. It's inherently wrong. It's stealing.

The world's most effeminate heterosexual, Daniel Johns

I like acting, but I like filmmaking better. I went to film school. I want to make films.

Santa Monica was a big song, and I always knew it would be radio friendly. But its not a defining song for me, though for a lot of people it is.

You dont have control of the car, but you can drive it. Life takes you where it wants you to go and where you need to go.

If you cant say it in three minutes, I dont want to know about it.

I just wanna be a rock star!

Living isn't a simple thing...no one said it's supposed to be.

Any artist manages his own business along with his manager. Every band should.

A lot of people do not like singer-songwriters, and a lot of people who like them do not like hard rock. It's either-or.

I've always cared about the world. That's never been an issue. But with learning how to smile, it's been learning how to feel comfortable within my own skin, and to feel accepted, and to feel empowered, and to feel worthy.

I still fall back a lot on my Les Paul, and there is just no getting away from a Les Paul and a hot pickup.

I've always kind of been a little skeptical about bands that won't play their hits. That's really arrogant to me as a music fan. I do want to hear obscure songs, but like most people, I want to hear the hits, so we always play them.

As a songwriter, I do kind of look at 'Santa Monica' as a thing outside of itself, because it isn't just my song. This is a song a lot of people tell me is a part of their high school or college years. That means a lot to me.

About one or two songs per record is me doing a little bloodletting.

I try to talk about things I know about. But my characters are more of a combination of people or how I imagine people would feel.

I like acting when I can pick my own roles, and I do. It's fun. I like being creative, and it's a creative process.

I'm not a politician. I'm not running for office. I can say what I think.

I like people who tell stories. I like storytellers. A lot of my songs are misconceived as being auto-biographical when they're not because I write in the first person.

I lived in Portland for almost 20 years, and that's where my eldest daughter went to college. I missed the sunshine. I grew up in L.A.

I'm constantly working, even when I'm at home.

If you live in L.A. long enough, you get into having a cool car.

Call me, and I'd do anything for the Democratic Party.

I do like my sugar at night, but I try to keep it to a minimum.