Nate Ruess Quotes

I prefer to connect with fans from the stage. Like, I don’t have a Twitter page, or anything like that. So for me, that’s what the show is about. For me – is a way to interact with fans; being up onstage and showing them, through music – which is all I really know – the best way to say thank you.

I idolised bands like Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins, who wanted to reach as many people as they could.

I think it’s really cool, but Jimmy Eat World and Gin Blossoms did it better than anyone. People don’t realize just how awesome the Arizona history is, especially for alternative music. Growing up, that’s all I ever wanted to be was those two bands.

But as long as you’re creating the art you want to create, if people start liking you, you shouldn’t have to apologize. You want your stuff to be heard by as many people as possible.

I feel like the rap metal at the end of the 1990s destroyed rock music for everybody and suddenly everybody felt like they had to apologise for being in rock bands. People suddenly felt bad about wanting to reach massive audiences and the sense of theatre, that we have in our live show, became something to avoid.

I would love to play a show with Kanye West. That would be amazing. I want to play a show with Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen. It would be really fun, especially to stick around, watch their show and watch how they work a crowd. It’s really a wonderful thing.

Eventually, out of sheer will of never wanting to get a job or go to college, I found my way into doing music full-time.

My dad dragged me to a Bruce Springsteen concert as a kid. It was my first concert, but I fell asleep in the middle. My second concert was Weezer on the Pinkerton tour, and Pinkerton is the reason why Im doing this.

Lyrics have become so dumbed down nowadays. People don’t want to have to think about lyrics anymore, they just want to be told something. Until these great things started happening with us, I’d really given up on reaching people like that.

If you can make the song a soundtrack to what you’re living at the time, I think that’s the most important part of a song.

I knew how touring was for 10 years, but it’s completely different now that things are popping off.

I try and get about eight hours of sleep every single night. And I like to think that I drink more water than anyone, ever.

Even now, when I try and think of band names just randomly, I’m so thankful that ‘fun.’ is the name of the band. I never really think twice about it. It is so simple and so easy.

I don’t have a Twitter or a Facebook, but that doesn’t mean I’m any more productive than the rest of the world.

It’s important that I get time to run, to just go for a jog for about 30 minutes. It helps with my voice, but it also kind of gives me a little bit of time to myself – and you get to see a city.

I think that I always thought that if my uncle was on Broadway, then I must inherently have a good voice. I don’t think that for a while I did. Eventually, out of sheer will of never wanting to get a job or go to college, I found my way into doing music full-time.

I picked up ‘The Hunger Games’ thinking it was written at my regressed reading level. I’ve spent hours reading it, and I’m not even halfway through. Our bass player, whose name is also Nate, ended up reading all three novels and loved them.

We love a good, hyped sound, but when it starts to sound insincere, that’s when I lose interest. I hope that our music, even if it sounds polished, doesn’t sound insincere.

I think legally we have to do ‘fun’ with a period. I think we agreed because apparently there was another band called ‘fun.’ We Google-searched, which now makes sense because we’re so impossible to Google-search.

May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground.

I don’t play an instrument – I just write in my head, and I usually hear fully formed songs. ‘We Are Young’ turned out so much like it was in my head. But it also exceeded all my expectations.

My dad dragged me to a Bruce Springsteen concert as a kid. It was my first concert, but I fell asleep in the middle. My second concert was Weezer on the ‘Pinkerton’ tour, and ‘Pinkerton’ is the reason why I’m doing this.

I kind of like being depressed.

Well, the crazy thing for me is I think out of anything that’s happened in the last year, all the success, people always ask what do you guys do with the money? I don’t think they realize we’re not really making any money.

As a songwriter I hate this whole, ‘If it’s a sad song, it has to sound like a sad song thing.’ And that goes all the way back to my days with the Format. I’m an insane narcissist, so if I have to get something off my chest, I’ll get something off my chest.

It’s the coolest part about writing music. I don’t know how other people work, but so much is derived from some amalgamation of all these different songs that I love. That’s why they jump all over the place.

I never wanted to get a job of musician. That was kind of my thing. I came from somewhat of a musical family. I had an uncle on Broadway. My dad kind of knows how to play instruments. Although, I always find it annoying when he does play an instrument.

There’s always some level of optimism in every single song.

I was in a really crummy pop-punk band. I think we did a whole bunch of Blink-182 covers, and we were on the fringe of losers and jocks. So we invited all the cool kids to come watch us play in our bass player’s brother’s bedroom. And it was terrible, but everyone thought we were so cool.

Lyrics are so important, I hate every second of writing them, but it’s something I take great pride in when it’s finished.

I came from somewhat of a musical family. I had an uncle on Broadway. My dad kind of knows how to play instruments. Although, I always find it annoying when he does play an instrument.

In a city like New York, any night can be completely different, even in a subtle way.