138 Quotes by Mike Patton

That’s one of the great things about touring. It makes you machinelike in a way that you can re-create this music not only in the right way but even better than when it was conceived.

I don’t know why, but there’s a certain element of panic in writing lyrics that I’m not sure I enjoy. I don’t write lyrics first, ever. I’ve never done that. So, in a sense, the lyrics are a bit of an afterthought – it’s music first.

I’m not a poet. I’m not up onstage to get something off my chest. I’m making musical statements, or, most of the time, musical questions for people to figure out, and I’m not going to get in the way of that.

I guess I’m getting to the age where a lot of other people my age have real jobs, and when they’re hard-up they refer to an old-timer like me.

The studio is my main compositional tool. And I used to be horrible in the studio. I didn’t know any kind of technical stuff. But when you have something in your head, you’ve gotta figure out a way of executing it.

Any idiot, any stockbroker can get out there and live out a fantasy and pretend like he’s playing music. And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.

Trey Spruance didn’t want to tour for ages. And Dean Menta has always been our guitar-roadie during Angel Dust, and I remember him playing fantastically during soundchecks. During each gig, he was watching from the side of the stage, seeing Big Jim play stuff that he could play better.

Puffy’s the only guy who’s jealous. All drummers want to be singers. I think it’s a myth that the singer needs to be the focus. Bands perpetuate that myth. With somebody like Sebastian Bach it makes sense. Look at him. He could be in an Avon ad.

Stan Slaughter is the thoroughbred of the environmental educators I’ve hired. Second place is not even close.