Chris Cornell Quotes

All musicians start out with ideals but hanging on to them in the face of media scrutiny takes real integrity. Tougher still is to live up to the ideals of your dedicated fans.

Any image I have, it's just what I do, but it comes off as being very pretentious. When you're a bit in the public astigmatism, anything you do seems like you did it so somebody would see you do it, like showing up at the right parties.

Most of us who got into film industry in early 2000s weren't prepared for the constant vigilance that being a celebrity requires, and there's no school for learning how to handle it well or gracefully. It's a hard thing to figure out. A lot of people don't deal with it well because they're either too paranoid or they're doing things they probably shouldn't be doing in public.

People ask me questions like, "Oh, you look so theatrical in your photographs. Is that what you're like when you walk down the street?" It's like, "Of course not." It's such a silly question - it's like being theatrical is a crime.

I'd like to get my public image nearer to my reality. People have a lot of misconceptions.

I play into the perception of me, but it's not really me.

Hopefully it doesn't come as too much of a shock that artists we love watching or listening to for an hour or two aren't always people with whom we otherwise would want to spend 20 minutes.

I thought if I wanted people to take me seriously, I needed to act serious and not reveal too much of my private life so people could seriously accept me in different things.

I've never tried to manipulate my image.

What most people do is try to find a comfortable persona that they're in alignment with and the public likes and appreciates them for.

I've never really spent too much or put too much gravity or placed too much importance on being a pop star. It's like, OK, great, does that mean I don't have to do anything anymore except walk around and be a pop star?

People often expect me to be very serious, but it's not like my record company told me not to smile in photographs, because I was like that anyway.

I'm sure Sting's a lovely guy. It's just that nobody wants to be seen as that holier-than-thou thing. That over-earnestness is a bit of a problem with people in bands and celebrities or whatever.

When you become a television personality, it's difficult to maintain your musical credibility.

If you see me as a controversial artist or controversial human being, then I could be cashing in on some reality shows. I am not doing anything like that. That's not my aim.

I've seen people 'turn up' for the camera, thinking that this is the best way to maximize their platform and get more camera time. This formula works, but it's shortsighted.

I'm not a big fan of just cultivating an image.

I don't necessarily like the things footballers do. All these kissing the badge, just doing it for the clout.

I never tried to put myself in situations where I had to be anything other than what people saw on TV.

Artistes never make their image. Image is made by the fans and the artiste's job is to fight that perception.

I think you can overthink dealing with fame. To an extent, you've got to put yourself out there, but I feel like your work should really speak for itself, and I don't feel the need to go and make everyone like me because, to be honest, I'm not looking to be friends with the world. I'd much rather people watch the things that I'm in.

I'm not trying to clean my image to make anyone happy.

What audiences see is a curated version of myself.

I'm not trying to stay away from being a celebrity, I'm not saying, 'I'm sooo not famous,' I'm trying to continue being a musician in a time when everyone is very celebrity-led.

In order to succeed in the world people do their upmost to appear successful.