Most singers have their idols. I remember Elvis Presley when I was a kid. When I was about sixteen, I always said I wanted to do 'Love Me Tender.'
We didn't like the idea of Dixie Chick action figures. I mean that's just the kiss of death for a group. How could a hip teenager enjoy the Dixie Chicks while their little sister is playing with a Martie doll in the other room?
I'm into old-time music; I'm not very interested in modern, popular music at all. And if I'm really into some particular old-time musician, some fiddler or banjo player, I'm always dying of curiosity to see what they look like. So there's some connection between visual images and music.
Growing up, I was a giant KISS fan, and the truth is the record I had was 'Rock and Roll Over,' and there wasn't even a clear picture of them in the packaging! So I really had no idea what they looked like; I just loved their music.
Everybody had posters in their room; everybody had the four symbols of Zeppelin on the wall and all that.
I hate 'Rolling Stone' - because I loved it so much. I had the 'Cheap Tricks' cover and the Clash cover on my wall for years, and I just hate what happened to it. It just became the smarmy grad student that sits next to you on the bus.
I think the most exciting thing is that you expect people our age to know the music, but actually a lot of kids know the music, and if anything is left, we have left really good music, and that's the important part, not the mop-tops or whatever.
I have a tattoo of Joy Division on my chest, and I like One Direction.
I think back to the Eagles, Elton John, people like that when I think about the Troubadour. It's an iconic place.
There's never going to be a new Beatles because we don't consume things in that way anymore.
I'm not a novelty act from the '80s in most parts of the world.
When people are recording, and they're like, 'I want to get the drum sound of the Beatles,' I hate that.
I like visual images and there are certainly other bands that have strong visual images going all the way back to Elvis Presley, but it's kind of like that's never really been my bag. Probably because I'm too shy.
