Johnny Van Zant Quotes

We have a song called 'Skynyrd Nation.' It's just about what our fans are, what they do in getting ready for the show.

There's nothing like getting out there playing a great show with Skynyrd and seeing people love this music.

Some of the wise boys who say my music is loud, blatant and that's all should see the faces of the kids who have driven a hundred miles through the snow to see the band... to stand in front of the bandstand in an ecstasy all their own.

We have to make a living, sure, but it's about the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd and what it stands for, what the fans are all about.

We love all kinds of music: We love pop music, we love rock music, we love R & B and country, and we just pull from all our influences. So I don't really take offense as long as people are coming out to the shows and buying the records and becoming fans of the music. At the end of the day, the music is what's gonna speak to you.

I love seeing the fans of the music that I make.

Why there aren't people out there willing to have fun playing rock 'n' roll. I just don't get it.

But, of course, one relies on the everyday people who just simply like your music, for whom you may not be a hobby but they enjoy being in your presence at a concert.

It's great when you play to an audience that knows the words to all your songs, and sings them back to you.

I feel like in a lot of ways I can relate to the fans, just being a fan of music myself.

When you tour, you regain the music and the connection with the audience.

That's what I love about music. It's immediate. There's a connection whether you are playing at Hyde Park or Chicago, and it's been happening since the beginning of time and the troubadours.

The best thing about being on the road in general is just playing every single night in front of people that are genuinely fans of your music.

It's amazing when you're playing to a crowd who barely understands English but they're singing parts of your song back to you.

I believe the people that buy my music believes in me.

When we've toured with Skid Row and G N' R, we probably turned a few people on to our music, but I get the feeling at one of those shows you might snag maybe 10 percent of the people out there.

I want to connect with my fans the way Mary J. Blige's fans connect with her.

The fan support throughout the years, and the new generation, has made Zeppelin larger than life.

You don't have a connection to your fans if they don't have a connection to you and the music.

There is nothing like the buzz of singing one of your songs during a show and hearing your fans singing with you.

In a very broad statement, or mentality, you just want as many fans as you can have of your music. You want people to write songs for and connect with and play shows for.

The music I do and the fans I attract? I got crazy fans.

Hank Junior fans are Skynyrd fans.

We'll go out and we'll be playing in front of 15,000 people and say, 'Hey, we're going to do three new songs from something we just recorded' and 5,000 people get up and go get a hot dog and a beer and they don't come back until they hear the opening strings of 'The Joker' or 'Fly Like an Eagle.'

And when it comes to the music, the fans are the most important thing because they get you and put you where you are. And so often - too often - that whole idea gets cast aside.