Top 45 Nita Strauss Quotes

There are no apologies for being a female in heavy metal and especially not in 2019.

The first riff that I totally mastered was ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana. I remember sitting there, plunking along, I remember thinking ‘How do they even do this?’

I think as long as you’re going out and treating everything with respect – you’re not going in there acting like a helpless girl – as long as you don’t go in there demanding special treatment, I think you won’t receive any special treatment.

I record everything myself, I engineer everything myself.

I’m a total tomboy at heart. If I don’t have to be on stage or doing anything that day, I’m always in band t-shirt and yoga pants and sneakers.

During those years with the Iron Maidens, I felt I had to be great and really prove myself at every single show.

The thing that drove me, and the thing that still drives me today to stay sober is all the blessings that have come into my life since this happened.

There were always people in the audience that judged me on the way I looked. They just assumed, because I was a girl, that I wasn’t going to be any good, and it motivated me to improve and nail it every night.

Three of my heroes that have gotten clean and sober that I got to ask for advice were Alice Cooper, Nikki Sixx and Zakk Wylde.

So, really, I just try to be the best guitar player I can be – not the best female guitar player, not the best ‘X amount of years’ guitar player, or whatever – just the best guitar player.

I was definitely not one of those kids prodigy guitar players.

So, to see the response to the Kickstarter, and to see people actually really want to see, hear what I’m doing, hear what comes out of my own mind, is really an incredible experience.

So, as I step out and take these first steps on this journey to do my own thing, I didn’t want to have to get anybody’s approval on anything. I didn’t want to have to ask a record label ‘Is this okay for the album cover? What time do you think I should go on tour this year?’

I saw Jennifer Batten do a cool guitar solo before I ever saw any other girl do a cool guitar solo.

The thing that I don’t like is the selfie when people turn their back to the stage. I’m playing my heart out, I put everything that I have into my performance. If someone turns their back to me like a zoo animal… that drives me absolutely bananas.

The solo album is really my way of branching out and doing my own thing. I’m mostly known for playing other people’s music, so this is a way to just do something that is purely from my heart and my creativity. So it’s really exciting.

But when I started playing in bands, everyone would just have a couple beers at rehearsal, at the shows, or whatever, and alcohol is a great equalizer. It’s a great way to make friends and interact with people.

I do remember being a kid and hearing Van Halen. My dad was always playing Van Halen in the car.

If I go on stage and I think I look cool and I think I’m playing well, that’s what it’s all about, I think.

It’s not odd to be a female in a band anymore. It’s not odd to be a girl carrying a guitar case to a gig.

The biggest challenge was the whole learning curve of being solo artist. I’ve been in bands for so long that being a solo artist was completely new thing.

I think in a new relationship it’s really important to at least respect each other’s interests, even if you don’t get super into everything.

I’m 30, and I’ve been touring since I was 15. So it’s been a long journey to get here.

I’m pretty easy-going and pretty happy most of the time.

And I was a kid from L.A. and I just wanted to play thrash metal.

I think my best advice for young guitar players is that it’s not an easy road – definitely not; female guitar player or male guitar player, it’s not an easy road at all.

I don’t really find it to be a man-dominated industry. I mean, I guess when you look at it, it is, but I don’t really look at it as a female or male thing, or female or male guitar players or whatever.

I dreamed of recording a guitar album since I started playing, but I just never felt ready. I never felt like I was the player that I wanted to be. But I had this epiphany: you’re never going to feel ready.

And, of course, there were some times when I had writer’s block and I had a hard time figuring out how to express what I wanted to express.

Nothing is more important to me than love.

And I would say that the main thing that I faced as a female in this industry was being underestimated. But being underestimated isn’t always a bad thing. It’s nice to get out there and blow people’s minds when they think you’re not gonna be any good.

I’ve worked my entire life to be this busy. I’ve worked my entire career to have this many things to do and this many emails to answer. Even when it’s overwhelming, it’s still a blessing.

It never really occurred to me to seek out a female influence, a female musician.

I might come across like kind of a show-off onstage and stuff, but I like collaborating with people.

Go in, do a great job, be super professional.

I didn’t start watching wrestling until 2015.

You know, I try not to think too much about women guitarists versus men guitarists; the world does that for me.

To put my name on a track as a solo artist was a big deal to me. There was no band to act as a buffer.

You see opportunity… Opportunity is like a window: every once in a while, it opens, if you’re ready for that opportunity. So be prepared, work hard, and follow your dreams.

The great thing about the Alice Cooper camp is that its a true family and there’s definitely a reason why he’s had such a long and successful career spanning over 50 years. You don’t get that far by not keeping good people around you.

I was always listening to the records that made shredding sound fun – Steve Vai, Satriani, Cacophony, Paul Gilbert. I think that’s what’s missing from modern shred guitar; so many people are playing so many amazing notes, but a lot of it doesn’t really sound all that fun.

Every band wants to play in every city. We all do.

I started playing guitar because of seeing Steve Vai.

It’s hard to get a start as an instrumental guitar player. It’s a much quicker route to be in a band, so I was always in a band and writing songs with singers, but I always had the dream in the back of my mind to make an instrumental record.

I always was a fan of Alice Cooper’s, but I got a new appreciation for his music playing in his band. It’s really amazing to see how his music transcends age.