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Paul Westerberg

Paul Westerberg Quotes

Musician

Paul Westerberg, born on December 31, 1959, is an influential American musician. He is best known for his role as the lead singer and primary songwriter for The Replacements, a band that gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s. Westerberg's musical style blends punk, rock, and pop elements, and his lyrics often have an autobiographical nature, addressing personal emotions and social commentary.

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Famous Paul Westerberg Quotes

“The best I can say is that it's better for me to write about despair and darkness than to be incapable of getting off the sofa. It's better to write about suicide than to contemplate it too heavily.”

Writing I Can Darkness Despair Suicide Contemplating Incapable Sofas

Author:Paul Westerberg

“The sheer volumes of songs have come from the hours of cold and darkness that one spends inside with the lights on.”

Light Song Hours Darkness Cold Volume Sheer

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I'd been through crappy day jobs and stupid garage bands. I was determined to make it as a musician.”

Jobs Stupid Band Musician Determined Garage Day Jobs Crappy Day

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Having a diverse sense of taste - or lack of taste - I loved so many different things. I was drawn to the stupidity and excitement of glam, I had a thorough upbringing in rhythm and blues.”

Different Taste Stupidity Rhythm Excitement Different Things Diverse Upbringing Thorough Glam Rhythm And Blues

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Each album we [The Replacements] made was the one we were capable of making and wanted to make at the time. Each one was a progression or, depending on your opinion, a sidestep or tumble forward. I don't know what.”

Knows Made Wanted Opinion Capable Albums Progression Replacements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“We [The Replacements] formed as a rock and roll band, and that was the path we chose to take. Whenever we deviated from it we felt, unless everybody was into it, there was tension.”

Felt Path Rocks Band Tension Rock And Roll Replacements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I used to write things that might have sounded better coming out of an older person's voice or vision. Hence, "grandpa-boy." I'm an old man, but I'm a boy. A really old boy!”

Men Writing Persons Might Used Voice Vision Boys Old Man Coming Out Grandpa

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Some records are timeless, and some absolutely sound of their day.”

Sound Records Timeless

Author:Paul Westerberg

“By the fourth or fifth record there was not a lot of time to sit around. We [The Replacements] stopped rehearsing. We stopped getting together and rehearsing. We'd perform, and that would take it all out of us. Then we'd be done touring and we'd be sick of each other. We'd never call each other up and hang out.”

Done Together Records Sick Hanging Out Fourth Fifth Touring Replacements Rehearsing

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Nobody can miss you unless you go away.”

Missing Going Away

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I'm constantly recording and playing down in the basement, and my voice is starting to sound really good. There's cracks and scratches in my voice that have been there since I was 19. It hasn't changed that much.”

Has Beens Sound Voice Changed Starting Cracks Scratches Basements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“We [The Replacements] never made any money on tour. None of us came out of the school of economics. We took it for granted that a rock and roll band gets ripped off. We've tried to shake that tree a couple of times, but what can we do? You look back, when you're sort of idle in your middle years, and think, we should have made some money.”

Thinking Should Years Looks Made School Tree Middle Rocks Couple Band Economics Should Have Granted Shakes Idle Rock And Roll Back When Ripped Replacements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I listen back, and I hear what's there, and I know in my heart, in my gut, that we [The Replacements] were the real deal. No one can take that away. You can call us buffoons, or clowns or whatever. But when we wanted to, we were as good as anybody.”

Knows Heart Real Wanted Deals My Heart Guts Clown Replacements Buffoons

Author:Paul Westerberg

“There is that unpredictability of the seasons that I enjoy. I like the threat of a tornado. I like the threat of four feet of snow.”

Enjoy Four Feet Seasons Threat Snow Unpredictability Tornadoes

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I try to write for highest common denominator. I don't write for dumb people. I figure if everybody doesn't get it, that's OK. Someone bright enough will get it, and that's who I write for. It's probably not the way to make million-sellers. What can I say? I won't apologize for trying to write for smart people.”

People Ifs Way Writing Trying Enough Common Millions Figures Highest Smart Dumb Apologizing Smart People Sellers Common Denominator Dumb People

Author:Paul Westerberg

“People like to see human error when it’s honest. When people see you swing and miss, they start to root for you.”

People Humans Honest Missing Roots Errors Swings Human Error

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Nobody gets married to a clever song, let alone falls in love to one.”

Song Fall Married Falling In Love Clever

Author:Paul Westerberg

“It's fun, but the fun is where it always was. I mean, it's still fun to strap on my Les Paul in the basement and turn up the Marshall amp. I'm still 15. I still enjoy that as much as I ever did.”

Mean Stills Turns Fun Enjoy Basements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I think it should be evident by now, but I'm as lost as anyone.”

Thinking Should Lost Evident

Author:Paul Westerberg

“The hack songwriter will write the absolute truth every single word, whether it makes a great song or not.”

Writing Truth Song Absolutes Songwriters Hacks Absolute Truth Single Word

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Reading music is like listening to flowers. I don't understand the concept.”

Reading Music Flower Listening Music Is Concepts Reading Music

Author:Paul Westerberg

“A rock'n'roll band needs to be able to get under people's skin. You should be able to clear the room at the drop of a hat.”

People Needs Should Able Rooms Clear Rocks Band Skins Hats Rock N Roll

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Although, my experience when I've been depressed, not only am I too depressed to sit down and write a song, I'm too depressed to pick up my feet. So if you can at least write about it, you're halfway away from it.”

Ifs Writing Song Feet Picks Experience Down And Halfway

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Any musician who can stop may be a musician, but they're no artist. If it's in your blood, it can't stop flowing.”

Ifs May Artist Blood Musician

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I forever felt that I've fallen right between the crack of way too young for the first generation of classic rock 'n' roll and too old to be brand-new. It's hard.”

Way Firsts Hard Young Felt Forever Generations Rocks Brands Fallen Classic Cracks Rock N Roll Glowing Brand New Classic Rock Old Rock

Author:Paul Westerberg

“The ones that love us least, are the ones we'll die to please.”

Dies Please Chill

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I'm beyond caring what anyone expects of me anymore.”

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Actually, I've done it the other way so many times where you rehearse the band and you do the whole thing with lights, the show and the crew - everything. Then you see what happens and you're already committed to dates. I'm just sort of putting out feelers this way.”

Way Done Whole Shows Light Happens Band Committed Things Happen Crew Everything Happens For A Reason Feeler

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I've had more people in my life take their lives than... I think it's out of proportion with most people. I think a lot of them gravitate towards me because of the music.”

People Thinking Music Proportion Take Me

Author:Paul Westerberg

“It's like, it's up to the people to fall in love with the song. The record company can only do so much.”

People Song Fall Company Records Falling In Love Record Companies

Author:Paul Westerberg

“The soul of rock 'n' roll is mistakes, and making mistakes work for you. The people who shy away from mistakes and play it safe have no business playing rock 'n' roll.”

People Soul Play Mistake Rocks Safe Making Mistakes Shy Rock N Roll

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I'm not dissatisfied with my place in it rock 'n' roll.”

Rocks Rock N Roll Dissatisfied

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I didn't wake up one morning and not be in the Replacements. We're all that forever, and I've just grown older. I mean, I haven't lost anything. I've gained a few things.”

Mean Lost Morning Forever Havens Wake Up Replacements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Stick with your heart and you'll be fine.”

Heart Fine Sticks

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I think of the Replacements only when they're brought up to me. For two years, I'm at home, they don't really cross my mind. I still hear them on the radio. I'm not ashamed of anything we did.”

Thinking Years Mind Stills Two Home Crosses Radio Ashamed Two Years Replacements

Author:Paul Westerberg

“I'm hard-pressed to think of a lot of great rock movies.”

Thinking Hard Rocks Movie

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Right now, it hasn't affected my music other than the fact that I don't have time to write any of it. That's no different from when I first started and I lived at home. I would play the guitar in the afternoon and then my mom or my dad would come home and I'd have to quit.”

Writing Firsts Different Play Facts Home Music Mom Dad Right Now Guitar My Dad My Mom Quitting Affected Coming Home Afternoon

Author:Paul Westerberg

“The truth is overrated.”

Truth Truth Is Overrated

Author:Paul Westerberg

“Then again, I think about high school every day and I think about being a little kid every day too.”

Thinking Children Littles Kids School High School Little Kid

Author:Paul Westerberg

About the Author

Born: December 31, 1959
Known for: Musician
Quotes: 39

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Replacements Rocks People Thinking Writing Band Song Rock N Roll Ifs Music

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