- When I discovered punk rock, the only punk rockers I'd seen were on Quincy.
- [on George W. Bush] When we heard that he was using our music at his rallies it was like being raped in the ass. It was not a good feeling.
- Live Aid (1985) was huge. How many bands played that thing? Everybody. Queen smoked 'em. They just took everybody.
- I always go, and people will think I'm crazy for this as there are a lot of Bowie [David Bowie] eras and they're all great, but I really like the 'Let's Dance' period. Because, as a drummer, that's one of the best air drumming albums of all time. I can appreciate technical drumming, sure. But to me there's nothing better than being in a bar full of people dancing and air drumming when none of them know how to play the drums. That and 'Back In Black', anyone will air drum to those albums.
- Who's to say what's a good voice and not a good voice? The Voice (2011)? Imagine Bob Dylan standing there singing 'Blowin in the Wind' in front of Christina Aguilera. 'I think you sound a little nasally and sharp.'
- How Kurt could even think we'd make a ripple in this ridiculous mainstream world of polished pop music was beyond me. It was beyond everyone. It made absolutely no sense. It was simply unimaginable. It was the type of hopeless, shallow aspirations that we had been conditioned to reject, ultimately relieving us of any intention other than to just be ourselves.
- From one generation to the next, The Beatles will remain the most important rock band of all time.
- If The Beatles were the original rock'n'roll four-piece, then Ringo [Ringo Starr] was the original rock'n'roll drummer. This was the template for the next 40 years of music. They were certainly the foundation for what I do and Ringo seemed to be the foundation of The Beatles. I always thought he had a great style. He had a wonderful swing and was a showman. A lot of drummers aren't considered showmen, but he definitely turned it on. His swing and backbeat carry so many of The Beatles' songs. Back then, the recording depended on the feel of the song. There was no digital manipulation of drum tracks, so it was up to the drummer to dictate that feel. And Ringo had his own sound. Pull all the instruments out and you'd still know it was a Beatles song. And that's the sound of a signature drummer. It's the kind of thing drummers strive for all their career, but not all of them make it.
- I swear to God, you can tell the difference between an English drummer and an American one. Most of the English drummers swing their rolls, but most of the Americans don't.
- Man, nobody is cooler that Dolly Parton. Her story is amazing. Man, she didn't even have running water. She bought her family's first TV from being on TV. Did you know that? you do now.
- The band is not the most important thing in my life, my kids are. On the same token, parenthood is terrifying. I've got two daughters that are gonna grow up with a rock musician as a father, here in Los Angeles, two beautiful girls in the Valley. I'm fucked, man. I'm shit out of luck. I don't know what to do. I gotta move.
- [Kerrang! magazine - September 28, 2002] Rock stars suck. Man, I'd be so embarrassed at being called a rock star. A lot of those connotations aren't conductive to my lifestyle. I don't do drugs, I don't fuck groupies, I don't spend all my money on limos and mansions and cocaine. I have a car and a small house and I go on tour and go to bed early and wake up and have tea. I'm a worker, man. I don't think many people see me as a rock star; hopefully they see me as a normal person. 'Musician' would be just fine.
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