Quotessence
Home / Authors / Torquil Campbell Biography
Torquil Campbell

Torquil Campbell Biography

Singer

Related Quotes

“That's the great thing about being in a band: it's a gang for people who are too wimpy to fight. You can create a gang and have an identity and fight for something and stand up for something just by making pop songs. They're my gang members and gang members are for life, and if you try and leave, we execute you. That's the way it goes. A simple bang, back of the head, into the river, and we keep moving on.”

PeopleIfsWayTryingMovingSongFightingSimpleIdentityBandMembersRiversPopsGreat ThingsGangBangsKeep MovingPop SongGang Members
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“I think if you listen to our records, they come at different points in your life. When people say to me that Stars records have themes, I think what they mean is we write songs - or try to write songs - that are timeless. We try to write songs that catch you at the right time in your life, and that you can hold on to. We write kitchen sink songs. If you're doing the dishes or you're driving to your mom's funeral, or if you're getting over having done MDMA and you feel sad, you can listen to Stars because we're not going to demand of you that you be cool.”

PeopleIfsThinkingFeelsWritingTryingMeanDifferentDoneSongStarsRecordsMomDemandDrivingKitchenThemeFuneralDishesTimelessRight TimeYour MomBeing CoolKitchen Sinks
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“Acknowledging that we lose is the overarching theme in everything in Stars. To me, that's what punk means. Stars is a punk band because we acknowledge loss. We're not trying to win. We're not trying to project victory. You win alone. I'm not interested in singing for the one winner in the room; I'm interested in singing for all of the losers in the room.”

TryingMeanWinningStarsLosesLossRoomsVictoryBandProjectsSingingWinnerAcknowledgeThemeLoserPunkNot Interested
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“I think people are naturally good, I see it every day. Look at this restaurant. No one's causing anybody any trouble in here. We're all sitting, respecting each other's space, we're keeping our voices down, we're saying "please" and "thank you" - those are acts of generosity that we commit on a second by second basis that we don't give ourselves enough credit for. There's a lot of kindness in this world, we're just such vain creatures; our vanity can be used against us so easily. We're like dogs, hairless dogs.”

PeopleThinkingWorldGivingLooksEnoughUsedVoiceSpaceKindnessTroubleDogThis WorldPleaseCreaturesSittingBasesCreditCommitVanityGenerosityVainRestaurantsSaying PleasePlease And Thank You
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“Blind hope. Blind hope is all we have. There's a Greek tragedy called Prometheus Bound; Prometheus is the [titan] that gave humans fire. He's chained to a rock and bemoaning his fate and saying, "I gave you everything. By giving you fire, I gave you blind hope. By giving you a little light that kept you warm at night, I let you believe that this was all going to be okay." For me, that's what art has been. Music and books, it's an act of hope to make them, and it's an act of hope to listen to them. That hope will be dashed, you will say goodbye.”

GivingBelieveHumansLittlesHas BeensArtBookLightNightFireFateRocksOkayTragedyBlindBoundsWarmGreekGoodbyeSaying GoodbyeChainedTitansGreek TragedyPrometheus
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“I consider being a performer work. I come from a theater family; I've been an actor all my life. I started acting when I was a kid, and I've earned a living as an artist all my life. It's my job in the sense that it's everything I am, the only thing I know how to do. I literally do not have qualifications to do anything else on this planet. Seriously, it's scary. [But] I don't consider it a job [because] it's my religion - it's my faith, it's my family, it's everything to me.”

KnowsKidsJobsArtistActorsActingKnow HowPlanetsMy FamilyTheaterScaryPerformersQualificationsTheater Family
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image

“I think you have to make concessions in life. One of the most frustrating things about getting older is [you realize] the reason you have a plan is so you can see everything that it isn't. The plan never works. Something happens and you adjust to it and you adapt to it and you accept it and you keep going, but that's not the plan.”

ThinkingReasonHappensRealizingAcceptingPlansThings HappenKeep GoingFrustratingGetting OldGetting OlderConcessionsFrustrating Things
Author:Torquil Campbell
Create image