March 23, 2005
Britney Spears Whining
(Filed under: Responsibility)"I have to tell the maid to buy diapers and get the pool boy to walk the dog? Can't I just make out with Kevin all the time? Being married sucks."
-Britney Spears, complaining in Allure magazine about the responsibilties of family and stepchildren. (Source: Time, March 28, 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:00 PM
March 17, 2005
Bright Eyes on Individuality
(Filed under: Culture)"I would never say, 'You shouldn't live this way,' because I feel like that, in itself, is hypocritical and wrong. But a lot of the way that I write about politics in music, through the songs, isn't necessarily to say, 'Do this, don't do this.' It's more to show the way that these things affect individuals and a person's pscyhe. If you're talking urban sprawl, and The Desaparecidos record--living in this modern state, this specific suburban life, I think that it's detrimental to the spirit of a person.
"And that sounds maybe condescending or something, and I'm sure there's exceptions. I'm sure there are people living to the fullest. But I think that the way that America is set up now, it marginalizes the individual. You get put in to your little demographic and you get sold these products and this entertainment that's specified to what you're supposed to be, and you're never challenged, and you're never asked to live beyond this state where you're giving back to these companies. Giving them money so that you can continue to spin in their little thing they create for you. And I just think that's wrong. I think that being alive and being a human, you should want to be more than a target group."
-Bright Eyes, aka Conor Oberst, who just released two albums, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. (Source: Paste Magazine, February/March 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 4:05 PM | Comments (1)
Alan Sparhawk of Low on Doing What You Believe In
(Filed under: Artistry)"When we first started, we knew everyone was gonna hate it. But if you believe in what you're doing, then it's OK if no one else gives a shit. It's OK if you show up to play and everybody leaves."
-Alan Sparhawk, lead vocalist and songwriter for the band Low, who are getting a lot of attention for the recent release, The Great Destroyer. (Source: Paste Magazine, February/March 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:59 PM
Jacob Marshall of Mae on Success
(Filed under: Artistry)"I don't see us equating success with record sales because that has never been the ultimate goal of the band. We have always wanted to make music that de-emphasizes commercialism, but still attracts a diverse audience. So, if our band breaks, it will simply give us the opportunity to develop the live show to the level that we want, so we can connect with people's emotions in increasing measure. And on our new record, we feel that we have captured the true emotion of our live performance in a way that we have never done before."
-Jacob Marshall, drummer for the band Mae. Their debut release, Destination Beautiful sold 60,000 copies and their next release, The Everglow comes out in a few weeks. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:55 PM
Jacob Marshall of Mae on Faith & Marketing
(Filed under: Business)"For me, Christianity is the act of mirroring the details of what Jesus lived. If you look at the details of his life, he exemplified love in the sense that he sacrificed his life for humanity. Whether or not you believe in specific doctrines, when you boil it all down--the denominations, etc.--the essence is faith in this guy Jesus. He is a person who invites people to pursue God, but when people try to own it or box it in, it results in factions and division, and this also applies to Christian business. I questions it. I question the motives of selling faith. Jesus wouldn't spend the time marketing himself. It seems that Christian fans expect the artists to not have problems, like your ministry will not be effective if you have weakness. But this is not Christianity--it's a successful business."
-Jacob Marshall, drummer for the band Mae, talking about faith and marketing. Mae's debut release, Destination Beautiful sold 60,000 copies and their next release, The Everglow comes out in a few weeks. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 3:46 PM
Greg Hill of Mute Math on Religion
(Filed under: Artistry)"The vision of the band, and everything else, is not getting caught up in religion. To me, religion is getting stuck on one thing. There's not much freedom in religion. You're bound to your rituals and your routines that you walk through every day. It is important to have those, but it's also important to grow, because if you're not moving forward, you're standing still and then moving backward."
-Greg Hill of the band Mute Math who released their Reset EP last year. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:25 PM
Donald Miller on Women Falling at his Feet
(Filed under: Celebrity)Q: What do you do with all the women who fall at your feet now that you're famous?
A: "Well, they don't exactly fall at my feet, but if they did, I suppose I would help them up or something. God knows I have fallen down in public, and that's just embarrassing."
-Writer Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:18 PM
Donald Miller on Success
(Filed under: Celebrity)"There are now hundreds of people who I would love to know more, but simply can't. It isn't possible. And it is also something of a shock. Anybody who knows me knows there isn't a whole lot of difference between me and the guy who delivers the mail or collects shopping carts at the grocery store. So the idea that this has happened to me is somewhat laughable. But I want to have fun with it, because I know it is temporary."
-Writer Donald Miller author of Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:12 PM
Win Butler of Arcade Fire on Hype
(Filed under: Celebrity)"There is really not much to deal with, except to try and play bigger shows and make it so this is our main job, instead of being distracted by other crap. That certain people are gonna get sick of hearing about us and will 'backlash' because of our 'hype' is perhaps the most predictable thing that could happen."
-Win Butler of the band Arcade Fire, currently the buzz band for their Funeral album. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:04 PM
Wyclef Jean: I Ain't No Saint
(Filed under: Responsibility)"I know you've read about me, and I ain't no saint. That's the title of your article, man. Print that, 'Wyclef: I ain't no saint.'"
-Wyclef Jean who wrote and recorded the award winning song "Million Voices" in three days for the Hotel Rwanda soundtrack. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 1:01 PM
Why Wyclef Jean Gives Back
(Filed under: Celebrity)"It comes from the upbringing where your parents tell you over and over 'vanity, vanity, all is vanity' and 'you can't take it with you.' In that upbringing, when they tell you that, you get the message. It makes no sense for me to be in this position and not do something about it."
-Wyclef Jean who wrote and recorded the award winning song "Million Voices" in three days for the Hotel Rwanda soundtrack, on why he feels compelled to give back to his community in New York and Haiti. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:58 PM
Wyclef Jean on Helping Haiti
(Filed under: Activism)"Security is the first issue. If they want education, they have to have security. Haiti can be manageable if the international community focuses on it. Right now there's no focus on it. Haiti don't have diamonds or oil. I believe people are more important than that."
-Wyclef Jean who wrote and recorded the award winning song "Million Voices" in three days for the Hotel Rwanda soundtrack. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 12:54 PM
March 9, 2005
Former Korn Guitarist Brian Welch on the Bible
(Filed under: Spirituality)"This is the book of life right here. It's not about religion, it's not about this church, it's not about me. It's about the book of life and everybody needs to be taught this. It's crazy, it's gonna do stuff like this, like change a guy in a rock band."
-Brian "Head" Welch, former Korn guitarist, taking a Bible from his back pocket while sharing his new-found faith at Valley Bible Fellowship church in Bakersfield, Calif. (Source: MTV, Feb. 28, 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:17 PM | Comments (2)
Korn's Brian Welch on Quitting the Band
(Filed under: Family)"I have a 6-year-old daughter, and I want her to be able to look me in the eye. I'm a single dad, that's what it comes down to. And the guys were really accommodating when I would tell them that. They'd be like, 'Bring your daughter on tour! We'll work the tour around you.' But that's not the place for a 6-year-old. She would be sitting backstage sometimes, just counting dollars. Because Fieldy would tell her, 'Every time you hear a curse word, you'll get a dollar. It will help us stop cursing.' And at the end of the day, she'd turn to me and be like, 'Look at all my money, Daddy!'"
-Brian "Head" Welch, former Korn guitarist explaining why he left the band. (Source: MTV, Feb. 25, 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 2:03 PM | Comments (2)
March 8, 2005
Chauntelle Dupree of Eisley on God
(Filed under: Spirituality)"We have people tell us things like, 'Your songs just move me emotionally to tears, and I don't know what it is, there's something about you guys that's so different.' And we hope that that's God, you know, something from God ... I mean we're created in his image; talent to write songs or play music or whatever--those are just gifts; everyone has them really; we just want to be reflections ... you know, pass whatever unique thing God's given us to people everywhere."
-Chauntelle Dupree of Eisley, who recently released their debut album, Room Noises. (Source: Relevant Magazine, March/April 2005)
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:53 PM