Jack Antonoff Quotes

What sets ‘Some Nights’ apart from anything we’ve ever done is the hip-hop influence. Not so much the actual sound of hip-hop, but more the vibrato and the artistry that comes with it. Right now, the artists that seem to be pushing to be the greatest artists and are trying to change the world are hip-hop artists.

The only people playing the roles of classic rock stars are hip-hop artists, now. Kanye’s stage persona, and the way he approaches making albums, and the way he wants to be better than everyone else? That’s reminiscent of Freddie Mercury. That’s reminiscent of the Beatles.

Social paralysis is strong and stands firmly in the way of change on the ground level. As allies, we have to prepare ourselves to step into the fire when necessary, even – and especially – when said fire is merely a still-lit cigarette tossed carelessly onto the street.

Of course, the majority of us would speak up in the face of outrageous bigotry, but do we speak up in a social situation when someone casually refers to something as ‘gay’? If we don’t, we are standing with the homophobes whom we are quietly fighting.

My father played guitar, so I always wanted to play for that reason. But I think the biggest reason was just the ’90s in general – growing up listening to the Smashing Pumpkins, Green Day and bands like that, and going to concerts and thinking it was the coolest thing in the world.

I think that everyone at any age should ask themselves, ‘where do I want to be today, where do I want to be tomorrow, and where do I want to be in a hundred years?’ We all have clear answers to those questions. We only have so much time. It’s a real shame if we don’t spend our lives trying to do that.