Todd Haynes Quotes

What I like in L.A. is that it's a lot more brutal. In England it's, 'Have a cup of tea, have a chat,' and you still don't get the part. In L.A. you go in, do your bit, and if they don't like you, you're straight out again. In a sense, that's more honest.

We were a Western civilisation, an English speaking civilisation, both NZ and Australia, and we had all these influences coming from both Great Britain and America to us; sending us their culture in the shape and form of movies and television.

Even the most jingoistic person would have to admit that even American cultural music comes from Europe. That's what classical music is, real European music.

People like Frank Zappa were amazing for us Brits.

In Australia, kids play in American accents.

We've had American TV shows in Britain for years and that hasn't affected our culture at all.

I've done a lot of period stuff but that's mostly because, in England, we get off on a lot of period stuff, but it's not any kind of particular choice. That's where a lot of the work is.

In England, we're around so much American culture and TV anyway, so it's an accent that's always in our ear.

In Britain, it's bred into you, the idea that you can't really change anything, so why bother. When I went to school in America, it was the total opposite view - you, as an individual, can change anything and everything. It's how you're raised.

I think Canadians are great satirists because we sit in the middle of these two giants: Great Britain and the U.S.

I'm more American than anything else. I grew up in China, but I was fulfilled at a young age by American music. It was my biggest inspiration.

I think Americans have always been pretty outspoken. I always found that if you had emotions in England, it's like, 'Here's a cup of tea.'

We are ambassadors of American style, but we're in awe of British style.

People constantly express surprise that Americans are so hot for Shakespeare. But Britain's culture is American culture, too.

My whole British culture in growing up is still with me for sure. I'm very grateful for that.

I came to London during what was called the second British invasion. The music was from Britain, the fashion was from Britain, everything was from Britain, so I knew I had to be in Britain.

All the events that have made up the character and fabric of British culture and everything that has happened to make up the fabric of America culture - art and music - includes the faces and the colours of a lot of people.

When I was growing up, David Bowie was my idol. I grew up in inner-city London, and he was from Brixton, which is even more urban.

Shakespeare is as naturally a part of American culture as it is the British culture; the Americans have a natural interest in their heritage.

I think we as a band, as individuals, understand that all popular music stems from blues and jazz and even pop, but rock 'n' roll especially comes from blues. What we're trying to do is play rock 'n' roll, but other people call it different things.

As a woman, you listen to more female singers, like guys listen to more rock bands. So in that way, they influence you because you're trying to create an identity; you look to others to model.

I think I've actually benefited from Australia being a kind of combination of both British and American culture. We kind of got the best of both British and American television and books, science fiction and fantasy, and so on. So I'm familiar with a lot of, for example, American books and television that a British author of my generation might not be.

Americans are not brought up with meter. They're not brought up with poetry. If you try to get them to recite, they're too embarrassed.

I'll write down and catalogue all the different devices that are Americana to me, and I try to have a historic depth and breadth and also the things that we do in our time, the type of vamps and chants, things that are available to us.

American audiences are affected by what the English people think.