Top 60 John 5 Quotes

Being the founding member of Loser, my decision to leave was not an easy one.

If you go out to dinner with a group of people, pay for the dinner at a nice restaurant, for the amount of money for that dinner, you can get a John 5 Squier Telecaster and have it for the rest of your life.

I want to make money playing guitar.

Whatever I say is so honest when I’m doing interviews.

Writing songs, especially with the instrumental stuff, it’s difficult.

When I came to California, I came from such an upper scale neighborhood, I was so sheltered, but I always knew I wanted to live in California, and I wanted to play guitar.

I love doing instrumental records; I love doing that.

I would definitely say Zombie has been the best time I’ve ever had. It is just so great and so fun because, you know, we all get along so well, and, you know, it’s just like, everybody, we’re just all friends here, and we’re just having a really, really, really great time.

You know how kids will wait outside after a gig and try to get an autograph from the band? I would do that, but when I found the guitar player, I would say, ‘What advice can you give me?’ And a lot of my heroes would say, ‘Have your own style.’ I always kept that in my head.

I remember where I was when I heard Yngwie Malmsteen for the first time. It was such an epiphany for me, and it really shaped the way I play today. I think I heard him in ’83, if I’m not mistaken – I was 13 years old – and it really was amazing for me.

All my life, I’ve really enjoyed music: making music, playing it, and recording it. It’s such a relief and a joy to do what I do for a living.

There’s not many crazy guitar instrumentalists out there that put on a crazy monster show.

I find the macabre fascinating; it’s all over history.

Steve Vai had a unique style of playing. Steve Vai didn’t sound like anyone else: Steve Vai sounded like Steve Vai.

I wanted to do this so badly, to be a successful musician.

I can get inspired, like anyone, from movies or music or TV or a certain way people think.

‘Hee Haw’ was a huge influence on me.

I really truly love all styles of music. A lot of people say that, but the first station they turn to when they get in the car is a rock station. I don’t always do that. I really enjoy everything. But, of course, I’m a rock shred guitar player first.

I would hear Steely Dan on the radio all the time, and I listened to ‘Aja’ a lot. I mean, ‘Black Cow’ and ‘Aja’ and ‘Deacon Blues’ and ‘Josie’ and ‘Peg’… all these songs are on one record. It’s crazy!

I think there are so, so, so, so many things you have to be… to do this… you know, to keep going in the music business. Of course, you have to play well with others, you know, and you have to be smart with business and be good at your craft and be healthy.

When I was touring with Ozzy, you know, when I was with Manson, we toured with Ozzy, so many times, we did Ozzfest a thousand times, and, you know, it seems like I’m always playing with Ozzy in one way or another opening up.

I get starstruck… I don’t know, because a lot of my heroes are my really good friends.

I’ll watch the Grammys and think, ‘You hardly even see people playing guitar,’ and it freaks me out.

I loved TV, and I watched anything with music – ‘Hee Haw,’ ‘Happy Days,’ anything like that. So I loved the Monkees.

How it’s been with me, it doesn’t really matter what kind of music it is as long as it’s good and catchy and I enjoy it. That’s why I know all these different styles of music, just because it’s fun. Whatever is good, I like it.

I’ve been playing live since I was in sixth grade.

I was a valet for celebrity parties.

I’ve been putting out records for so long, but I didn’t want to tour because I didn’t think anybody really cared.

A lot of bands, they take a lot of planning to do a live record. They have to hire a crew, and they have to have a recording truck and all this equipment, and they record every single show.

I would love to work with a Beatle: Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr.

I love meeting the fans, and I love shaking hands, and that’s what it’s all about. It really is.

There’s 24 hours in a day, and I’m working most of them.

Inspiration is a really hard thing to describe, but it’s something that triggers your brain, like the first time I heard a certain guitar player that I loved or the first time that I saw a monster or the first time that I saw anything that really was an epiphany for me. It just stays with you your whole life.

I’m always playing guitar.

You pick up a lot of things as a kid. That’s why I play Telecaster.

Nothing’s changed from when I’m seven years old to now. Nothing’s changed at all. I like the same stuff that I did – Kiss, Van Halen, ‘Happy Days,’ ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ ‘The Brady Bunch,’ monsters and all that stuff.

I know it is one of the most important instruments and inventions, the electric guitar, to me, since television or movies or anything like that.

I’m always working and recording. It’s just what makes me happy.

I’m so honored that I got the best guitarist award for the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards.

Oh my God, Guns N’ Roses – it’s like, jeez, that’s what made me move out to Los Angeles. ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ you know – it’s been a huge inspiration for me.

In my eyes, and in my opinion, the guitar is strong and powerful and will never die.

If I wasn’t in the band, I’m a Zombie fan, and I’m a White Zombie fan.

I am from Michigan; I am from Grosse Pointe. I was upper class growing up there.

I just try to go outside the box. In fact, I go outside the box so much I go… ‘What box!’

The guitar is my whole life.

When I was younger, I had a horrible flight. Horrible. It was well before I was 10 years old. So I always thought to myself, ‘I know I don’t want to travel.’ That’s why I wanted to be a session guy, because I knew I could still play guitar and make a living at it – hopefully.

I love Loretta Lynn, and I love Roy Clark and Johnny Cash, everybody.

It’s always good to go outside of your comfort zone.

I love instrumental guitar records, but I also understand that, as a listener, it can be difficult to get through a whole album of just that one thing.

You gotta go after your dreams and do it. Go and do it.

I love talking to people, and I’ll listen to what they have to say, and if they have ideas or something like that, I’ll put you to work.

What I do is, I look at rock guitar players, and I say to myself, ‘What is this guy doing? What does he have that can inspire me?’ I try to see what other people are doing and take what they have and turn it and twist it into my own thing.

I’d love to work with Prince. He’s such an amazing musician.

I always look for inspiration. If I find something that’s inspiring, I’m so excited because it is very hard to find something inspiring.

Inspiration is one of my favorite things. That’s all I want to do – I want to inspire people.

I love Jimmy Bryant, and I love Albert Lee. Roy Clark. Chet Atkins. I love those pickers.

I just love music and great guitar players.

I’ve been doing instrumental records now for a long time and built up this little fan base, which is worldwide, and it’s incredible how big it’s gotten. People really enjoy these records.

I always play so many different styles that I don’t think anything I do surprises anyone.

I love doing it. It’s great. I love doing the sessions, ’cause you’re kind of like in a different band every day. I used to do them all the time. I think my first one was John Wetton from U.K. and Asia and all that stuff, King Crimson. It was so great. Really a lot of fun.