Best Indie Rock Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings

“In small towns, bored teenagers turn their eyes longingly to the exciting doings in the big cities, pining for urban amenities like hipster bars and farmers' markets and indie-rock festivals. Like everyone else, they want the vibrant and they will not be denied.”

Source: No Future for You: Salvos from the Baffler

“I do get the sense sometimes that if I draw things too nice, maybe I won't be indie-rock enough anymore.”

Ifs Sometimes Enough Nice Rocks Draws Too Nice Indie Rock

Author:Bryan Lee O'Malley

“When I was a kid, you listened to a certain genre. Now it's like, "I love indie rock, I love hip-hop, jazz, funk." Also, we knew it couldn't be the same thing each year.”

Years Kids Certain Rocks Jazz Hip Hop Hips Genre Hops Funk Indie Rock

Author:Jonathan Rhys Meyers

“I really do listen to all types of music, not only rock, but everything from good pop music - which is usually older pop music - to RB and indie rock. I love indie rock more than a lot of the commercial stuff that you'd expect.”

Stuff Rocks Type Pops Pop Music Indie Rock

Author:Amy Lee

“What's cool about indie rock is that one band can do effectively the same thing as another band, and one band nails it, and the other one doesn't. I like that elusiveness.”

Can Do Rocks Band Nails Indie Rock Elusiveness

Author:Andrew Bird

“I've always found that whatever you say about indie rock, it is the most inclusive genre or title for anything. It doesn't pin you down too much, like other labels would. It's just newer, it has less baggage.”

Found Too Much Rocks Labels Titles Genre Pins Baggage Indie Rock Whatever You Say

Author:Andrew Bird

“I like the glamorous indie rock look, like The Libertines. But you know, without the heroin needle sticking out of my arm.”

Knows Looks Rocks Arms Glamorous Needles Heroin Libertine Sticking Out Indie Rock

Author:Ed Westwick

“A lot of the music I listen to is indie rock. It's not on the radio.”

Rocks Radio Indie Rock

Author:Laura Bell Bundy

“Indie rock is very healthy, there's a lot of diversity and a lot of creativity, but it does not have the revolutionary spirit of the late-70s punk scene in regards to design and politics and fashion and stuff like that.”

Doe Spirit Stuff Creativity Rocks Fashion Design Healthy Scene Diversity Late Regard Revolutionary Punk Indie Rock

Author:Bruce Pavitt

“I was trained at classical piano as a youngster back in PA. To rebel, I bought a drum set and played in some rock & roll bands. In college I picked up a guitar and became obsessed with practicing which led to playing guitar in indie rock bands in the mid 90's. Which led me to Los Angeles.”

Rocks College Band Guitar Piano Obsessed Los Angeles Rebel Youngsters Rock Bands Playing Guitar Indie Rock

Author:Jeff Cardoni

“I played in rock bands in college and then right out of college I moved over to Europe and lived in Ireland for about four years playing in indie rock bands. I love and miss being in a band, I still am in a band but pursuing that as a career I definitely missed it but I felt like that ship had sailed.”

Years Stills Felt Careers Four Rocks Missing College Band Europe Moved Ships Four Years Ireland Rock Bands Indie Rock

Author:Bill Watterson

“I'm so disconnected from an indie-rock community that I am the hermit people used to guess I was.”

People Used Community Rocks Disconnected Hermits Indie Rock

Author:John Darnielle

“This indie rock stuff, I mean I like it, too - it pushes all my buttons: sex appeal, dissonance. It's emotive, disenchanted.”

Mean Sex Stuff Rocks Appeals Buttons Sex Appeal Dissonance Indie Rock Disenchanted

Author:Ketch Secor

“I'm like the Fugitive, running from the one-armed indie-rock community!”

Running Community Rocks Fugitive Indie Rock

Author:Billy Corgan

“Hip-hop is mostly what I listen to, other than jazz. I've given up on pop music and indie rock.”

Given Rocks Jazz Hip Hop Pops Hips Hops Given Up Pop Music Indie Rock

Author:Jess Row

“If I like hardcore straight-edge punk music, gentle psychedelic folk music, gangster rap, indie-rock with a lot of guitar pedals, and I find inspiration from all these things in different songs of mine, shouldn't I be allowed to make any of this kind of music that I want? And it's the same for the comic books, why should I only make autobiographical stories? Or only political stories? Or only superhero stories? Or only comedy stories? I am a bit creatively desperate, when I sit with a pen and paper I am desperate for ANY idea that makes me excited, I don't care what kind of idea it is!”

“There was no indie rock band in the 90s at the level of, like, Grizzly Bear. I listen to their records and it's crazy how good they sound. That really freaks me out.”

Sound Levels Records Crazy Rocks Bears Band Freak Rock Bands Grizzlies Indie Rock Grizzly Bears

Author:Travis Morrison

“I didn't grow up with indie rock - I mean, I listened to bands that are considered indie rock, but I think that term is dead and uninteresting.”

Thinking Mean Grows Term Growing Up Rocks Band Indie Rock

Author:Justin Vernon

“Indie rock is just as susceptible - if not more susceptible - to all the gross things about people becoming total ass clowns in music, and only worrying about money and image. I'm not interested in being a part of that.”

People Ifs Worry Rocks Becoming Ass Not Interested Gross Clown Susceptible Indie Rock Worrying About Money

Author:Justin Vernon

“The idea of having an indie rock "career" while living in a remote backwater like Seattle was too ridiculous to contemplate. It was simply about having adventures, one day at a time, one song at a time.”

Ideas Song Careers Rocks Adventure One Day Ridiculous Contemplating Seattle One Day At A Time Indie Rock

Author:Bruce Pavitt

“In indie rock, there's the phenomenon of: "Oh, this guy seems totally normal, but he's actually crazy." There's more of that out there than you'd think.”

Thinking Seems Guy Crazy Rocks Normal Phenomenon This Guy Indie Rock

Author:Tom Scharpling

“Now that the generation that grew up on '80s indie-rock has attained influential positions in the culture, that music is the new yardstick. And that will shift yet again some day.”

Culture Generations Rocks Position Grew Grew Up Music Is 80s Influential Yardsticks Indie Rock

Author:Michael Azerrad

“Even the indie rock world - which is supposed to be about truth and independence from corporate mindfulness or something - is totally subject to the paraphernalia of celebrity.”

World Subjects Rocks Mindfulness Independence Supposed To Be Corporate Indie Rock

Author:Justin Vernon

“Licensing is how indie rock people make a living these days, so whatever about that. But I want good films and good placement for the songs because I want to be exclusive. I don't want to just sign it away because I don't want songs to lose meaning, but I'm also...I don't care [that] Wilco sold songs to Volkswagen. That's great. They probably drive Volkswagens.”

People Want Care Film Song Loses Rocks Don't Care These Days I Don't Care Exclusive Good Films Placement Old Song Licensing Indie Rock Volkswagens

Author:Justin Vernon

“It's just weird that indie rock heads and so on are connecting to my music.”

Rocks Connecting Indie Rock

Author:Prefuse 73

“In high school I was in a band called Goodfight, but it was more me running around on stage. It was very punk inspired. Then I started to get into indie-rock and older music and decided I wanted to write my own stuff. I quit the band. Around 16 or 17, I started recording myself at home on keyboard and piano.”

Writing Home Running Wanted School Stuff My Own Rocks Stage Band High School Decided Inspired Quitting Piano Punk Keyboards I Quit Indie Rock

Author:Angel Olsen

“Generally I try to read anything but indie rock journalism or anything about music at all, especially in the summer.”

Trying Rocks Summer Journalism Indie Rock

Author:Emily Haines

“You kind of have to be like " What have you been working the last five years for? Why are you complaining?" It's essentially me talking myself out of being a crybaby indie rock butthead.”

Years Kind Lasts Talking Five Rocks Complaining Five Years Last Five Years Indie Rock Crybabies

Author:Mac DeMarco

“In the beginning I was just a makeup artist and I never really pictured myself doing anything else. But now that I have so many doors open, I kind of want to be that indie rock Paris Hilton - but with actual intelligence - she's just stupid.”

Want Kind Artist Doors Rocks Stupid Paris Makeup Makeup Artist Indie Rock

Author:Jeffree Star

“I have a car in Nebraska. When I bought it, they gave me a satellite radio, and there's an 'indie-rock' station. It's just nothing I'm interested in.”

Rocks Car Radio Stations Satellites Nebraska Indie Rock

Author:Conor Oberst

“One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other Houses with the Bones of Our Own.' Maybe not the most uplifting audience sing-along in the indie rock world, but one of the most reliably entertaining.”

World Moments Shows House Audience Rocks Crowds Hearing Bones Uplifting Liars Entertaining Doomed Best Moments Indie Rock

Author:Rob Sheffield

“When I started out as a music journalist, at the end of the 1980s, it was generally assumed that we were living through the lamest music era the world would ever see. But those were also the years when hip-hop exploded, beatbox disco soared, indie rock took off, and new wave invented a language of teen angst.”

World Years Ends Language Rocks Wave Hip Hop Hips Eras Journalist Hops Angst Disco Indie Rock

Book:Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut

Source: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut

“I put on the Hank Williams and the Patsy Cline and the Rosemary Clooney on vinyl - I'm not trying to be some cool indie-rock person, I just love the way it sounds - and throw on a T-shirt and jeans. In Texas, we practically come out of the womb in jeans.”

Way Trying Persons Sound Rocks Shirts Texas Jeans T Shirt Womb Vinyl Rosemary Indie Rock Hank Williams

Author:Kelly Clarkson

“But, then again, I wouldn't call myself an indie-rock supporter even if there are some really good bands out there and there will always be some real good new bands.”

Ifs Real Rocks Band Supporter Indie Rock Good Bands

Author:Stephen Malkmus

“We create music to express ourselves and when the world relates, that's a beautiful thing. We're all trading off each other's culture, so no matter what lines you put--country indie rock, rap, we're all somehow gonna find a way to come together.”

World Way Country Matter Together Beautiful Culture Lines Rocks No Matter What Rap Relate Beautiful Things Trading Indie Rock

Author:Jay-Z

“To begin with, the key principle of American indie rock wasn't a circumscribed musical style; it was the punk ethos of DIY, or do-it-yourself. The equation was simple: If punk was rebellious and DIY was rebellious, then doing it yourself was punk. 'Punk was about more than just starting a band,' former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt once said, 'it was about starting a label, it was about touring, it was about taking control. It was like songwriting; you just do it. You want a record, you pay the pressing plant. That's what it was all about.'”

“I guess my music taste is pretty predictable: I like new indie rock stuff, older stuff.”

Stuff Rocks Taste Predictable Indie Rock

Author:Aziz Ansari

“The second 'Postal Service' album is threatening to become the 'Chinese Democracy' of indie rock. It will come out eventually, or maybe it won't.”

Democracy Rocks Albums Chinese Threatening Indie Rock Postal Service

Author:Ben Gibbard

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Indie Rock Quotes