John Rzeznik Quotes

I was very pleased to find that once I had records out music videos were starting to happen, so I directed some of my own music videos and got to experiment in other areas of expression.

MTV can't do less for me, let's put it that way. I'm fine without them.

Music videos were this lucky career opportunity. They were assignments. I was providing a service, and they were meant to be punchy and gimmicky and fun.

Videos have to go hand in hand with your music, so that's why, ultimately, they should be created by the artist. And if they're not, it doesn't really add up to me.

A lot of rappers been putting out a lot of sub-par visuals. I feel like the visuals could be better.

With Lady Gaga I really stretched myself as a creative director, and because I was with this artist from before she got signed I was able to really take control of the opportunity and execute as a creative director.

As a kid, I'd watch MTV and think how great it would be to have my own music videos on those shows. Now I turn on MTV and, along the bottom of the screen, it often reads, 'Coming next... Pixie Lott.' That's so strange that I can't even begin to make sense of it.

Listen, we're still selling stardom. That doesn't go away because MTV decides they can't play videos or they want to program themselves more as a traditional T.V. station. Vevo and YouTube are like MTV online, and on demand.

I always would dream of making music videos. Whenever I make music, I always have a visual in my mind. I always see things.

It really is no different in the way that we make records and shoot music videos. I don't think of the movie as being a great leap out of my current profession.

I didn't have any role models of artists that were in the same playing field as me - making expensive videos, travelling, marketing and promoting an album.

Music videos, to me, are like an extension of a song.

I'm very conscious that a music video is beyond just a promotional tool for a song. It takes a song to the next level and it gives a song a new life.

Music videos were an outlet. They were the jobs most easily available to me, but creatively, they're also so free form; there are no rules whatsoever.

God bless Skrillex. I love the kid, but he puts out a new video, what, every four weeks? I'm like the Dos Equis guy. I don't normally do music videos, but when I do, I go big.

Actually, it's the beauty of independent music that the artist can feature in his own videos and be the face of it. It is unlike Bollywood movies, where one does playback singing.

I have a music-video background, and I feel like the responsibility of a music-video director is to do something that hasn't been done before in a really cool visual way. So much innovation has come in filmmaking through music videos.

Some people draw a line between music videos and short films, looking down on music videos as a format, but there's so much potential in music videos.

I think before, in the '80s, it was more about fashion and music videos and a lot of radio: getting out there and the fans learning who you were and your music.

With music there's so many limbs and facets. Video and touring and merchandise and all those little things require attention. They're artist things but I tend to joke around too much with those things.

Singles - we hated it, going on 'Top Of The Pops' and all that rubbish.

The most difficult thing about music videos is that a lot of young filmmakers come into the medium, and they have so many different ideas, but they need to understand what the musician wants.

I love music videos, and I think maybe it's my favorite format.

I miss the videos that are short films, back when MTV played videos all day.

We cut songs that touch us because if they don't touch us first, there's no way in the world we're going to be able to sell those songs to somebody else.