A biography for Mark Laneganhasn’t been written yet.
“I worked as a breakfast cook in a lot of different restaurants.”
“I played 'Angry Birds' and tried to see what the hoopla was about.”
“It isn't important to me how people respond to my work.”
“I've had songs that were spread out over a number of years, and I've written some in ten minutes, and everything in between.”
“My favorite record, growing up, was 'Songs of the Haunted House,' a Disney record that was just wackiness. It's still one of my favorites, actually.”
“I don't really take time off between records; it's a compulsion for me.”
“I'm not much of a partyer.”
“Me and Kurt Cobain were both listening to a bunch of Lead Belly and diggin' it. We thought, 'Let's do an EP of all Lead Belly songs.' We did a couple, and both of us were like, 'Nah, this is a bad concept.' We set it aside.”
“Doing something that's physical but not necessarily mentally taxing - for me, it frees me up creatively.”
“I'm about creating a body of work and moving on to the next thing.”
“Usually I get asked to do stuff that's cool, and if I ever can't do something, it's usually, because of logistics, I don't have the time for it. Rarely do I get ask to do something that I'd rather not do. I usually do it if I feel that it's something I can do.”
“Most of the music I'm into wasn't popular when it was being made.”
“It's a different kind of satisfaction, different kind of enjoyment than making your own songs, to remake someone else's song that you really like.”
“If Brian Eno wanted to make a record, I'd definitely clear some time in my calendar. John Cale, too. Those guys consistently make great records, always doing their own thing.”
“The guys who spend their time brooding in their younger years either lighten up or go away.”
“Have I tried a black pudding? I'll eat anything - I'm not finicky - but that's not to say it takes any courage to eat black puddings because I find them delicious.”
“I'd wear nice clothes and brush my teeth more often if I cared about what people thought.”
“I was in trouble with the law from when I was real young.”
“In real life, I'm far more lighthearted than I come across on the records.”
“I've learned that sticking around counts for something.”