"If you want to write something good, you gotta dig in there until you freak yourself out." � John Rzeznik talking about "Sympathy" on Gutterflower in a Billboard interview
"The moment when it comes, I like to compare it to, like, the catharsis of a good dump after being constipated for a few weeks." � John on what it feels like when a good song idea comes to him
"It actually makes me nervous. I'm like, 'Why am I not completely terrified to do this?' It's making me nervous that I'm not nervous � that's like double neurotic behavior or something. I'm just gonna write what I write and hope for the best." � Johnny describing how he wasn't really nervous writing songs for what became 'Gutterflower'
"You have this one little spark that turns you on and then the rest of the process is like digging around in a fucking Port-O-John looking for your watch that just fell in there. You hang out and just try to pick through shit until it works out. And it's hard work. After a certain point, there's a craft to it, where you got to beat it into shape and then you've got to let it go, you really, really do, you know, 'I can't do anymore.' And get out." � John Rzeznik click here for the whole interview/article
click here to read my personal ramblings that this quote triggered...
"I'm an artist man, I can't shit on command." � John Rzeznik
"The ironic thing about writers block is that your writing all the time, its just that you think everything sucks." � John Rzeznik
"You have to do what is relevant to your life at the time when you're writing, and the writing has to be an honest reflection of where your mind and your heart are at that particular point." � John Rzeznik
"Things just evolve. I sort of have no control over what happens with the songs. Sometimes I'm afraid I might wake up one morning with an entire record of polka songs." � John Rzeznik
"It was pretty cool how that worked," he gushes. "I love when that happens, when it just--BOOM!--falls out. It just pours out of you. I love that!" � John Rzeznik talking about writing the song "Iris" for the movie "City of Angels"
"(I also learned that) instead of trying to lead the song, you let it lead you and guide you to a place, and it will take you where you're supposed to go. It might be right down the shitter and into obscurity or it could be to superstardom, but the point is, you have to relinquish control of the outcome and you have to love what you do again." � John Rzeznik on getting past writer's block
"Most of the time, inspiration can feel like the breeze up against your neck, and the rest is up to you to decide if you're going to take action on it. You know what's it like? Like somebody buying you a model airplane kit.Great, here's the kit. Now I have to put the fucker together! That's the hard part." � John Rzeznik
"My advice to anyone who wants to know about writing songs? Don't ever ask yourself that question! Just do it. It's a fatal question to ask how to write. You can completely fuck yourself trying to figure out what you do. If Michael Jordan stood there and pulled apart what he did mechanically, he'd probably never dunk a basketball again, 'cause he'd be analyzing what he's doing! You have to just flow." � John Rzeznik
