"Man forget the 2 million records, this is what it's all about" (refering to connection with the fans)
"...I've always been about the music never the money."
"I just like to have big, fat, tones-just rock it"
"I'm 6 ft. tall..I just want my guitar sound to be big"
"Nobody fucks with my fans, NOBODY."
"I feel like I'm in a Magritte painting, falling from the sky with my top hat and guitar."
"Sometimes I also feel like a piece of graffiti scrawled on the side of a liquor store"
"In my early 20's, I just felt like I was on my deathbed...I went through practically every anti-depressant there was on the market. I know what it feels like to wake up and want to go right back to bed. So anyone who's feeling that way now, I'm down with you. You've got to have faith that it will end, you know."
"I just wanted to play the most prominent sounding instrument in rock music and I figured that was the guitar...It's a way for me to..a..kind of..become somebody else on stage..it's like my second voice, ya know"?
"I'm very concious of the audience...I need to..ya know..um, get the feedback from them"
"The big distortion sounds that are key in my playing I try to keep secondary to the music, I think the songs should be able to translate over in their barest form."
"When he tried to teach me solos, I had to quit." (admits with a laugh about lessons with Joe Satriani)
"A lot of my playing at that time had the little triplets stuff, the rhythm thing with the delay - I liked to do volume swells and create those lush sort of sounds. That was a big part of my playing, but I was a real rhythm player. It was more groove-oriented playing. Even though the effects add to the music, I want them to remain secondary. I don't want to completely rely on them, or have effect-oriented guitar sounds."(talking about his 80's playing)
"I'm not a psychopath, I know there's only one of me"
"I get sick of hearing the same chords. I do a lot of alternate tuning. On a song like 'Narcolepsy' I use open tuning."
"It's kind of a pain in the ass live because I have, like, five different tunings and I have to switch guitars. So, I have guys throwing guitars at me all the time."(talking about the open tuning he uses)
(same topic as above) "It's like solving a puzzle - It's fun to turn things upside down and to challenge yourself. Just take the bloody tuners and turn 'em and twist 'em and see what you come up with. When things aren't happening and you're not creating anything, that's one way to shake it up and try something different. Maybe something will come out of it."
"When I'm playing guitar, I'm expressing the mood I'm in-- whether it's anxiety, depression, or joy. It's kind of a release for me."
"I get things stuck in my head, and it's hard for me to get them out... Music comes in but it don't come out."
"Being mature means standing up for yourself and others that you see being mistreated. Being honest about your feelings and truthful about the facts. Not to be afraid to let others know what you believe no matter what the consequences might be. This is real maturity."
"This is my favorite thing to do in the whole world and I recommend it highly. All of you, should try this right now...CAN I GRADUATE?!"(Hard Rock Live performance)
"You're taking a big risk when you decide to pursue a career in music. If you can play music on this level, it’s the best job in the world – there’s nothing like it, whether you’re playing in little clubs or you’re a rock star"
"If you keep taking the High Road, then bring an oxygen tank"
"Never enter a temple that does not allow in light"
"Trees are the only living things that wear less in the winter"
