Nuno Bettencourt Quotes

I still do lots of gigs where I'm the support act and people are chatting through my set, but I've got better at grabbing attention. I mean, my parents would play on bills with people like Judas Priest and get booed all the way through. But they stuck it out, got tough.

After this many years of being a lead singer in a touring rock band, I've had my fair share of fun. But those days are long behind me.

One of the main things we learned as a band in those days was not to be the headliner.

I was lucky enough to get to perform on stage in front of 20 million people on TV, and 150 thousand in concerts. For 15 minutes I got to be a rock star, the 15 minutes is great! It turns into Spinal Tap after 20 minutes.

Well, for the My Generation album, there was nothing to be nervous about in them days. We used to take every day as it came. Every day was just a gig and I think we did the recording between gigs literally.

I doubt I'll be singing forever, because at some point people aren't going to want to hear my music, and I hope that I'll still get the opportunity to write songs.

I was an opening act for 10 years.

Boys in bands are more difficult to deal with than one-year-old babies. I've been one of them, and I am one of them, but it is the truth.

We got word that Mick Jagger heard our first album and liked it. And he wanted us to open for the Stones in Hawaii. That just blew us away. But the next thing I heard was that Stevie Wonder opened for them here in the States and actually got booed at one show. So I was scared to death.

It's tough going out as the opening act of a band especially when you're solo.

There's no shame in being a support act for anyone. It's been extremely beneficial for us to be allowed onstage for any of the artists we've toured with, and we've gotten some big exposure from them sharing their crowds with us in the past.

I have always wanted to sing at some point in my life. In fact, when I was shooting for 'Oohalu Gusagusalaade,' I would randomly start singing on the sets, and I even earned a nickname 'Radio' on that film.

I didn't want to record 'I Think We're Alone Now,' because I thought it wouldn't show that I could actually sing.

I've never thought too much of 'Rolling Stone.' The first thing I'd do is look at about 50 or 60 of the drummers they have ahead of me and go, 'Oh yeah, right!'

Every band has an 'off' night once in a while - that's gonna happen.

What's that man's real name anyway? It's not will.i.am, is it? He thinks he's got all the answers, but if he didn't have Fergie in the band, where would he be? Fergie is the real star. I would love her on 'The X Factor,' and to be a judge on the show.

I'm a good singer, yet I couldn't participate in 'Star Ya Rockstar.'

Even the biggest bands - and I hate to break the magic - but even the band that sold out 90,000 tickets in your football stadium, they might come back two years later and do an arena. It still feels huge, but there's a difference - there's a big difference. And there's a big difference playing a 30,000-seat stadium and a 90,000.

Obviously, Iron Maiden is on a way bigger scale to British Lion, but as a musician playing live, it's just the adrenaline rush of playing in front of an audience that gives you that rush.

It's a little less stressful as a support act, because the headliner carries the majority of the weight. But as a headliner, we get to play a little bit longer.

I've always considered myself a serious guitar player, but I haven't been really worried about whether the public thought I was. That never was part of my record sales strategy.

And I get so nervous now when it's not my show, like I'm not the headliner, because I know that those fans are there for another artist. Many people might not know an upcoming artist, but I've grown to like those shows because if I can control a crowd that doesn't know me, I'm doing my job as an entertainer. I have to rise to the occasion.

All I've really been working on since I was a kid is music, but sometimes I feel like I'm an imposter or something.

Slash is one of the greatest guitar players I've ever heard, and it's amazing when you hear about all the crazy stuff he's done.

I knew of Queen, and I knew of Freddie, but I didn't know who the rest of the band were. I became friends with Freddie first; then I got to know the others.