Machine Gun Kelly Quotes

I loved the Cure and Bauhaus and the Smiths. The people in my town weren't privy to that kind of music and I got abused. I discovered the microphone to get out some of that angst.

Glam really did plant seeds for a new identity. I think a lot of kids needed that - that sense of reinvention. Kids learned that however crazy you may think it is, there is a place for what you want to do and who you want to be.

I started my YouTube channel when I was 13. At the time, I was being bullied by a few people who I used to be very close to. I felt very alone and unmotivated. After discovering the beauty community, I decided it would be a great way to express myself and use it as an outlet to be who I am.

I used to listen to 'Perfect Day' by Hoku every single day in high school! 'On this perfect day, nothin' standin' in my way... Don't you try to rain on my perfect day.' It pumped me up when I was feeling down or defeated, whether it was from the cool kids making me feel left out or feeling overwhelmed with homework and mean teachers.

I was like little-miss wannabe punk-rocker; I would go home and secretly listen to Pink, and dance around, like, 'Ugh, she understands me so well!'

When I heard 'Dookie' by Green Day for the first time, it unlocked something in me, like, it's totally okay that I'm a little bit weird because these guys are a little bit weird. It made me want to pick up an instrument and do that.

I think that's what it is with rock music. It helps you hang tough, I guess.

Grunge gave me a sense of identity, and I remember really associating with 'Silverchair,' who were these chilled-out Australian teenagers. The fact that they were teenagers was a big deal for me. It was like, 'Oh, man, you don't have to be a 30-year-old to do this.'

I was fortunate enough to be living in Hollywood, CA, when the underground punk rock music scene started. It was a small group of artists, misfits and weirdos, where everyone was welcomed and encouraged to express themselves.

I've gone through some dark times, and at those times, my tattoos have helped and guided me through.

I remember being really young - being 13 or 14 - when I first was really excited about punk rock as an idea, and I was like, 'Don't ever not be punk. Don't ever not be punk.' Telling that to myself, I guess it was like self-defense against the scary world around me.

I was bullied; I was kind of a girl in the corner. So acting was a great outlet for me by pretending to be someone else.

I felt that pop music didn't represent me. And that's why I made my own.

I hear that I dress like a boy and that I should be more girly, which I can understand, but I just focus on what I want to do and enjoy my time with fans who love me for who I am.

I first got into music when I heard punk, and it was saying maybe it's OK if you don't live up to the expectations various authorities have for you.

Before I even started listening to rap music, I was really into metal and punk.

It's nice to stand out and not have to conform to all the beauty standards that just don't even make sense anymore.

I want people to get from 'Pariah' that it's okay to be you and not to check a box as a parent or child.

I can't sing that well, but when punk-rock came along, it changed all that.

I want a voice. I want people to know who I am and hear my story. I want people to see me get in the ring and give it everything I have, even though I come from a broken home.

I think a good comedian was probably bullied a little bit. Probably felt doughy and oblong and rhombus-shaped and strange and a little bit of an outsider, and then learned the healing qualities of comedy.

That's what real punk is about - doing it yourself and building a community where people share ideas and share creativity.

Music has always been a part of my life, and it helps me a lot because it speaks for me when I can't speak for myself.

Arts can save children, no matter what's going on in their homes.

I just wanted to kind of break down those gender stereotypes and just say everyone's equal, everyone's their own person, everyone's their own individual.