Michael Hastings Quotes

I just want to make music, I don't want people to talk about me. All I've ever wanted to do was sing. I don't want to be a celebrity. I don't want to be in people's faces, you know, constantly on covers of magazine that I haven't even known I'm on.

I've never understood musicians who don't enjoy doing promotional interviews. I just can't believe it. I always think, 'Your life must have been so brilliant before you were in a band.'

The stuff I write I'm very proud of, but I'm smart enough to know I'll never get on the cover of 'Rolling Stone' next to Elvis Costello.

The thing is, I love a celebrity interview. Doesn't matter how big or how small. It could be Hillary Clinton or the guy who made it to the third round of 'Popstars,' I'll read it.

You can't hate Britney Spears because, you know what, no matter what Britney Spears been doing, she's still on TV.

My input for the first 16, 17 years of my life was AM radio, FM radio - pretty mainstream stuff. Rolling Stone was probably as edgy as it got.

Somebody had given me a copy of 'Hunky Dory,' which had yet to be a hit, although it was starting to percolate. I'd seen a couple of pictures of David, with his interesting hairdo and outfits, and I decided to seek him out, which wasn't difficult back then, as he was eager to do any kind of publicity.

'The X Factor' seems to be more about building up personalities and people in tears. And it's not a new idea. The pre-Beatles pop world was full of manufactured pop stars. The thing is that you can't imagine any of the artists you look back at and admire ever going on 'The X Factor.'

I have a feeling there were many, many successful rock duos that just didn't get attention. That's the fault of the rock press. They are always playing up controversy, scandal, aggravation, and irritation.

Being a musician has actually surrounded and immersed me in pop culture and youth culture from a very young age. But even before I was singing in bands and creating any kind of art, I was always fascinated by pop culture.

I like to talk to media.

When the magazines talk about artists they talk about the Paul McCartneys, the Paul Simons, they never talk about me. So their readers and contemporary artists are never going to check me out because they're not reading about me.

The Internet has essentially democratized the music industry in terms of what is popular and it's democratized the music journalism industry as well.

I'll never take any credit for Lady Gaga or Katy Perry's success. But I knew within a month that Gaga was going to be huge.

Even before I got the record deal, I never really used singing to get girls. I always felt weird about that.

That was everything to me as a kid. When I'd see someone on MTV, it was like, 'Wow, they're the real deal.'

We've played on 'Saturday Night Live' and got not even a Rolling Stone review.

Our interest in 'Rolling Stone' is driven by its people, its cultural significance, and the globally recognized brand that has no peer in its areas of influence.

The only thing I use the Rolling Stone for is toilet paper when I run out.

Whereas Rolling Stone, I just never had anything to do with them. I'd stop by the office maybe twice a year.

I got Joan Baez to talk and Alan Ginsberg and some of the guys in the band. And by the end of the piece, another emissary came and said, 'Bob [Dylan] is willing to speak to you now.' And I said with great pleasure, 'No, thanks. The piece is over.'

Part of being a pop star is image. I'm told by many of my female fans that I was the poster on their bedroom walls. But if I only had that - the image and the beauty and the curly locks - I would have been a 'normal' pop star, one who comes and goes after one hit record.

People really care about Kim Kardashian: they know her, they watch her, they follow her on social media, they know about her whole family. It's more than just being a fan.

I'm not really a big fan of doing interviews.

I've always wanted to have one of those hits on the radio, but we haven't really been able to crack that code.