Top 33 Mark Kozelek Quotes

There’s never anything planned. I just do what I feel is best for the song at that time.

I don’t make demos. I don’t have the interest or the energy or the time. Demos are something you do in the early stages of your career, but when you get going, you just go in and record the song.

Most Americans I play for are clueless as to who Richard Ramirez was, so you can imagine how audiences in Portugal react. I’m not saying they don’t enjoy the music; I’m just saying they’re a little lost on some references.

If people want to write long, rambling, pathetic articles about how sad they are about song titles, have a blast! I’ll be out playing music to a room full of people, having a great time.

I don’t worry about anything except my parents’ health, things like that.

Most of the people I interact with on a daily basis don’t even know what I do for a living, so the ‘persona’ thing doesn’t amount to much.

My perspective is so much different now, being 41. The main difference between now and then is just realizing that your time will come to an end – and that it might not be far away. You see your face change, see the gray hairs sprouting up. When you’re 24, you worry about the day you’ll turn 40.

‘NME’ and ‘Melody Maker’ were saying I was the next Lou Reed or Van Morrison. So, everyone has their own version as to when the height of my career was.

Your time is spent making records, planning, touring – not counting the days until another guy’s concert. There are some newer artists I like in a casual, passing way, but I couldn’t tell you the bass player’s name or name two songs off of their new record.

A friend of mine passed away unexpectedly at the very end of making ‘Ghosts’, someone who had been as close to me as someone could get, someone who was far too young. But I couldn’t really sing about it for a long time – not in the way I would have wanted to.

Christmas is cheery for some people and depressing for others.

My heart is drawn to the small, out-of-the-way things that I can’t help but to give my focus and attention and care, ’cause they shut off what hijacks my brain and help to tune out what can cause me pain.

If you’re 25, I could see how you could be tricked into thinking ‘Benji’ is my most successful record, but I’ve been doing this long before online magazines existed.

I think that I’ve gotten a lot more relaxed, and I know how to go about getting a sound now. I know what to do to get the vibe right. As an example, when I’m doing vocals, I don’t have six guys sitting out there in the control room, messing around, making faces.

I’m a remedial reading student from Ohio who grew up to write pieces on my mom and dad in the ‘New York Times.’ They were really touched by that – something they never saw coming.

Every artist has different priorities. Some artists I know don’t make as much music as they used to, because social media has taken over their lives. I work at what I feel is a very normal pace, and things keep clicking. It’s rewarding.

When someone important to you, someone that’s played a big role in your life, when they’re gone… When you write about them or pay tribute to them, you want to do it in a way that’s thoughtful.

That ‘Rollercoaster’ album cover was very prophetic in its own way. My career has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows.

I’m not trying to sound mean spirited, but I honestly don’t know of many successful musicians who get that excited about other current artists’ music. You’re either a music fan, or you’re a working musician.

I found Jerusalem to be a tourist trap. I hope that I don’t offend anyone by saying that.

I could have easily doubled my profit and made two records out of ‘Among the Leaves’, but the songs represented a certain period, and it made sense to get it out there as one piece.

My dad still hasn’t heard ‘I Love My Dad,’ and I’m sure he’ll say something like, ‘It’s good, but I love your version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’!’ My dad loves my live albums – he’s obsessed with the live version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ for some reason.

I’m a fan of making music more than talking about it.

A band requires so much rehearsal and travel logistics. I didn’t mind it when I was younger, but there’s not much motivation for me to do it now.

I have love in my heart, and I’m kind to people every single day of my life.

I play shows sometimes, and if everything’s connecting, I start blabbing to the audience about anything. Between songs, talking about things in my personal life, or whatever. But there are other situations where I feel a little closed-off. It’s really kind of a day-to-day thing.

I’m homesick everywhere I go, but England has a negative effect on my spirit to a profound degree. That trip from Heathrow into London is worse than the flight over there. It’s just so grey, and I’m not a pub person, and the traffic in London gives me a heart attack. It’s not a comforting place, on any level, to me.

Red House Painters were doing cover songs before our first record deal. I remember live shows where we did an AC/DC song; I think we did ‘Send In The Clowns’ by Judy Collins. We did ‘The Star Spangled Banner,’ which came out on our third record.

At 47, I can’t write from the perspective of a 25-year-old anymore. My life has just changed too much and my environment around me.

I’m just writing less of my own music lately – I go in and out of phases a lot. Sometimes there are these accidents that just sort of happen, that are kind of waiting around the corner. I guess Modest Mouse was one of them.

Fights are nice because I can hang with my girlfriend and not leave the house. Shows are nice because that’s how I can afford $65 pay-per-view fights and to go to Vegas and see them live.

My most successful album happened back in the mid-’90s, pre-Internet times, with ‘Songs For A Blue Guitar.’ We were supported by Island Records; we toured a lot. Songs were licensed to TV commercials and movies.

Throughout my life, there’s just periods when I write and periods when I don’t. I don’t feel like anything’s really blocked. It’s just not where things are at right now, and it’s just a matter of time until there’s something going on where I feel compelled to write.