“Ronald Reagan's career was so unusual, so unprecedented, that this would be very interesting to learn, to gain understanding of his way of looking at the world.” WorldUnderstandingInterestingUnusualVery Interesting Author:James M Strock
“Being on a microphone nightly has made me better at what I do, made me better able to sing a little bit, but also more confident at trying it.” Trying Author:Craig Finn
“It's really easy, in a band, to overstate - you feel like everything you do is different than the past. I think this is just another Hold Steady record, but at the same time, there is some evolution. Like, "How can we make this chorus bigger?" "What do we want this to sound like?"” ThinkingDifferentPastEasyEvolutionSteadyChorus Author:Craig Finn
“Some people I've talked to have had really an interpretation of this record as being nostalgic. But in some ways, when we were writing Stay Positive, I was really obsessed with age. I kept saying it was a record about trying to age gracefully. This record, I think actually was us aging gracefully.” PeopleThinkingWritingTryingAgeAgingObsessedNostalgicAging Gracefully Author:Craig Finn
“The point of being in a band, for instance, isn't to get big; it's about enjoying playing shows.” Enjoy Author:Craig Finn
“Heaven Is Whenever - the Christian version of reward, the ultimate reward of heaven. I guess what I'm trying to say is this is happening every day. We're blessed always. There is struggle and there is suffering in our lives, but understanding that is part of our lives - a part that just is. Suffering is a part of the joy of life.” TryingChristianJoySufferingHeavenUnderstandingStruggleUltimateBlessedJoy Of Life Author:Craig Finn
“Ray Cappo never tried to convert me into a Krishna, although one of his cohorts probably did. I think it was just about being wrapped up in this thing. Hardcore, at one point, meant everything to me. Now you look back, and I still think it's cool, but to some extent I grew out of it. Other things became a bigger priority for me.” ThinkingPrioritiesKrishnaHardcore Author:Craig Finn
“When we started the band, I was really like, "We just want to make a lot of records" - not quite unlike Guided By Voices' schedule. I've always thought that our live thing is what we do best, and having a really robust, big catalog makes for the most interesting live band - especially with people, at this point, traveling to see us night after night. For us to have almost 100 songs to pull from is a really cool thing. The sets can be different. They can be invigorating on an intellectual level. I definitely hope to continue to release records at an accelerated pace.” PeopleDifferentNightSongInterestingIntellectualMost InterestingReally Cool Author:Craig Finn
“At the root of the shy temperament is a deep fear of social judgment, one so severe it can sometimes be crippling. Introverted people don't worry unduly about whether they'll be found wanting, they just find too much socializing exhausting and would prefer either to be alone or in the company of a select few people.” PeopleSometimesFoundSocialCompanyWorryToo MuchJudgmentRootsShySevereTemperamentSelectExhaustingIntrovertedSocializing Author:Jeffrey Kluger
“If we enjoy what we're doing, we shouldn't really need a break. It's fun for us to play music. It's our livelihood, but I don't look at it as a job. It doesn't seem to me to be a problem to constantly be doing this.” ProblemFunEnjoyBreak Author:Craig Finn