Julian Casablancas Quotes

I know I'm never going to be a big pop star, because I'm not willing to conform.

I'm certainly not who people think I am. I always do whatever I want to do, and my films are personal to me.

My whole mode is to do what I want to do and let people understand me through that.

My work is trying to at least define myself on my own terms, and then if other people enjoy things that's a lovely addition.

I don't have a message. You already have all these people telling you how to live, who to be, what to wear, what to drive, what drugs to do - I just want people to see what I see.

I was born to stand out. I don't care whether or not people will find me attractive on screen. That's not why I became an actor. I know that more and more with each new role.

I would encourage people to realize that you don't have to panic if you're not part of a mainstream, or if you find yourself outside the flow. If it doesn't suit you, don't go along with it. Just sit it out and get your stuff done. Don't just sit moaning or getting drunk—I spent some years doing that. But if you can just come up with something of your own, however minor it is, that's going to be easier to live with when you're at the end of your life.

Don't create for the masses. Create for the people who are your kind of weird.

There's a whole category of people who miss out by not allowing themselves to be weird enough.

I've learnt that I've had the best results from just trying to be me, trying to make a movie or TV show I want to see or write a script I want to read, and that's really all I can offer - being authentic.

I try to please myself. I don't try to anticipate what people want to see.

I don't care what people do. I don't care how people remember my albums. I do them for my own reasons.

I don't want ever to be guilty of what my critics claim: doing formula without original elements.

I've heard some people say that I'm selling out, but I'm not. If I hadn't done 'Black Radio', and just kept on doing just piano trio stuff, I wouldn't be honest with myself; I'd be doing it to please other people. That would be selling out.

I'm American. I'm eclectic. I'm going to follow my musical passions. And if people don't like it, and it hurts my legacy, I'm not going to worry about that.

I don't care what people say. My music's, my music.

Books are not brands. Some people are very willing to see themselves as a brand, but you can't be a certain type of writer to a certain type of person all the time. It will kill you.

Just trying to be different - when I hear something - I don't like to go trampling on other people's sounds.

I wanted all my life to give my world into other arts - books, plays, movies - but I didn't want to sell out.

Labels don't mean anything to me. I'm trying to play as passionately as I'm able to. If they want to call that cool, that's fine. Just spell the name right, is the formula.

You know, we have our own audience, and it's not like - they just know we're not going to do certain things.

I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not know.

My biggest challenge was to make sure that the songs I did were who I am.

I take my craft seriously, of course, but I don't feel the need to always play a certain character or a certain part or persona. I'm not going to cut something out of my life because it's not 'my image.' I want to be open enough that if I love something, I can do it, and it will add to myself as an entertainer.

I love anybody who's willing to stick to their own vision, their own voice, who's not easily swayed by money or by financers who are going to tell them what they should do.