Michael McDonald

“Whether artists know it or not, I think we're all a little influenced by what came before.”

“I could never be grateful enough to the Doobies for the opportunities the organization gave me over the years.”

“No matter what anyone else thinks, if someone appreciates what you do, whether it's 10 people or a million people, it's all good - because the only reason you make music is to have someone appreciate it.”

“I grew up with this idea that songwriters had a great job. My family was Irish Catholic, so if you became a priest or a songwriter, you were golden.”

“I've always had a dream that I might write a Christmas song that might resonate with people during the holidays.”

“Looking back, I sometimes wish I had done things differently. But if I had, I'm not sure that I wouldn't have proven to be my own worst enemy.”

“Since the '60s, we've lived so much in an age of quick fixes that the culture itself has become a quick fix.”

“I felt a real kinship with Steve Bruner. He's one of those guys that is so prolific that he has a hard time keeping up with himself. I'm the opposite and move at a glacial place.”

“I use Facebook, but I find that I'm... if I put up a picture of my dog there or a sunset or something, I get a million hits. If I mention anything to do with my career, three people respond. And/or if I say anything political, I have to duck afterwards. I try to be selective.”

“I'd like to do something with Frank Ocean, you know, and I love working with Thundercat, and I'd love to do more with him.”

“I've come to learn that music speaks for itself.”

“When I get in a bad mood about anything, I realize, 'Hey, I'm still working. It could always be a lot worse.'”

“I've always felt like the Forrest Gump of the music business. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of great people.”

“I love to write songs, but they don't come easy to me - I spend a lot of time writing really dumb stuff that I have to look at the next day and think, 'God, what was I thinking?' That's my process, is just to go through a lot of dumb stuff and hope that, after a lot of hard work, I'll find a good idea.”

“It was surprising, really, that 'Minute by Minute' did as well as it did and as quickly as it did.”

“When Kanye gets to a point where he can actually put a couple of notes together either vocally or two bars of valid music playing an instrument, then he might have a right to criticize somebody else.”

“One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, I have to admit, was the Chipmunks' 'Christmas Song.' I remember playing that song over and over.”

“I love writing Christmas music. It's some of the easiest songs to write... You draw from your own memories - it's kind of a wellspring of inspiration, in a way. With other songs, you know, you spend six months just trying to figure out what to write about.”

“I do love the Nat King Cole stuff, the classic Christmas records. There's something about putting those records on and hearing his voice at Christmastime that brings back a lot of great memories of growing up.”

“Laziness can be virtuous in the right setting, I guess.”