Chris Isaak

“Singing is something that I'm always happy to do it and going in the studio I never felt any pressure. I just feel like I get to sing, you know. It's fun.”

“The tough thing about radio is I've met a lot of people in it who like my music. But it's hard for them to figure out how to play what they like when there's somebody up above them yelling 'you have to play this.'”

“I don't think I've had a more miserable life than a lot of people. I think I've had a pretty lucky life.”

“When people ask me really stupid questions or get it really wrong, I feel embarrassed for them. I don't really feel angry at them.”

“I don't spend as much time on my hair as people think. I get out of the shower, whack some grease on there and I'm done.”

“I hate modern car radios. In my car, I don't even have a push-button radio. It's just got a dial and two knobs. Just AM. One knob makes it louder, and one knob changes the station. When you're driving, that's all I want.”

“I'm not a very spiritual guy when it comes to music. I remember hearing Carlos Santana say that angels helped him write his songs. And I thought, 'Really, angels?'”

“I blow up fireworks all the time, and I love making milkshakes and banana splits.”

“If I would get an album out every eight months and if I would write songs that were more up-tempo and try to focus more on making singles, then I could probably get more attention. But I don't think the albums would be very fun to listen to, and it would be a drag for me.”

“I remember listening to the radio as a kid and finding that the songs always made me feel more peaceful. Funny, but the more hurtin' the music was, the better it made me feel. I think of that now when I write my songs. I may not be feelin' the blues myself, but I'm writing them for other people who have a hard life.”

“One thing, when you're an actor, you finish something and then you have to worry about what the next gig is. When you're a musician, you can always write your own stuff, and I'm working on new stuff for a new album right now.”

“I come from a small town and I come from a background where we didn't have money to travel. I thought I'd have to join the military to get to Europe. So I'm thrilled to travel.”

“Any time you talk about your own stuff you sound self-aggrandising.”

“My advice is: if you've got to be miserable to write great music, then drive a truck.”

“I'm in showbusiness. I'm an entertainer.”

“I talk to people who are musicians, and they go, Oh this is hell. And I go, Are you kidding me? You never put tar paper on a roof, did ya?”

“I still don't know if I'm good enough or if it's a calling or a vocation or something, but the talent part is out. My desire to do it is undoubted. I just love doing this.”

“I wear a lot of second hand clothes unless I have a concert and then I wear beaded and sequined second hand clothes. No stylist dresses me although I do have a woman that assists me with the buttons.”

“I never set out to write a certain kind of song, I just play my guitar and see if I catch something.”

“I keep things pretty simple.”