David Byrne Quotes

Just being at home, growing up naturally, and being here now with my video and my music, I think people realize that I was in the Spice Girls 8 years ago.

I realized I've spent all my life creating a past.

I like to read my diary occasionally to remind myself what a miserable, alienated old sod I used to be.

If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you'll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually you'll get to where you want to be.

Now you watch reality TV, you watch them in all those pools or Jacuzzis and I say to myself was I that stupid? But that was me then.

It's true I'm more widely recognised now and get invited to take part in all sorts of events and projects but as a person, I haven't changed.

I don't think I even knew how big we were at the time. It was mad. I gained a lot through East 17 and I'm grateful for being able to have that experience.

For the first five years of music and first five years of acting, I don't remember it because I was running to where I was going. Finally I was like, 'Man, I missed everything.' So I just stopped, and I started looking around.

I think when we shot 'Tokyo Drift' I was a little too young to really understand what made Han who he is, and then I got older, and you start to make a little bit of money, and you realize that money will never buy you happiness.

I never forget the first time I was on 'Top of the Pops', my bass player said: 'You've made it!' I did used to think, when I was younger, that I'd be on there one day.

I can look back at things I've done and said and worn and be completely humiliated by them, but I can never say it wasn't me. I feel really honored to say that.

I must have been an annoying child.

I have a pretty healthy perspective on what my past music was.

But I had a strong reaction to my first three albums and I struggle with them now, as an adult. It's very much the same as looking at your teenage photos in high school.

I remember watching somebody called Esmee Denters doing covers that were really popular and wishing that was me. But I'm glad it wasn't. Things have worked out OK.

I was never carried away by success and have learnt from the failures. Satisfaction is what I crave for; fame and wealth are just by-products.

If you have been wise and successful I congratulate you. Unless you are unable to forget how successful you have been, then I pity you.

You can't take yourself too seriously. Like, yeah, I'm doin' all that, but still I don't feel like I've done anything, really. I feel blessed 'cause I'm doin' all these things, but I'm not satisfied. I still have that feeling like, "Who am I? Who am I to have an ego? Who am I to change up and act like some Hollywood character?" Technically, in the grand scheme of things, I haven't done anything.

There have been artists who've sold out arenas one year, and the next they can't fill a theatre. There's always more to achieve.

My life has changed because my access has changed, and so has the level of privacy in my life, but these are champagne problems, because I wouldn't rather be back auditioning. And change can be really good - as long as your character is intact.

No, I don't regret my decision at all, especially after I started this music career. My eyes were as big as saucers.

We're constantly, as human beings, trying to understand why we do what we do and how we got to wherever we find ourselves today. Sometimes it takes a lot of time to look back and go, 'I can't believe I spent one day with that person, much less two years.'

It is always nice to reflect on how one started.

If you become famous and don't have a live show to back it up, they're not going to pay you any money.

It wasn't the muso thing that got me recognition in the beginning. It was doing 'Wild Thing.'