My goal is to make my kids as happy as possible.

Being a musician, especially at the major label where you work for so long, it becomes a cycle. Write a record, make a record, tour. It’s just this cycle, and I don’t think there’s any...

I love Australia! I got a boot thrown at me there.

I’m a pretty tenacious person; I get that from my mom. So sometimes, I use dark humor. I can’t take myself too seriously.

One of the things about being a boy, especially growing up without a father, is you really don’t have that role model to teach you how to do things.

People have had the idea to do a ’90s alternative tour for a long time. I didn’t come up with that; I was the first guy to basically say it was time.

I don’t talk about my past; people ask me about it. I’ve done things I’m ashamed of, but one thing I can honestly say is that things I’ve done that I regret, I’ve never done...

I loved hard-rock bands, and I loved songwriters who told stories.

‘Santa Monica’ was a big song, and I always knew it would be radio friendly. But it’s not a defining song for me, though for a lot of people it is.

As a songwriter, I do kind of look at ‘Santa Monica’ as a thing outside of itself, because it isn’t just my song. This is a song a lot of people tell me is a...

I like people who tell stories. I like storytellers. A lot of my songs are misconceived as being auto-biographical when they’re not because I write in the first person.

When some people get angry, they turn into victims, but when I get angry, I turn to action.

I saw Cheap Trick play ‘In Color,’ and it was awesome.

Success to me is being able to do what I love, make a living at it and to support myself and the ones I love.

I think I write very good songs. But I don’t know if anybody could record my songs with as much fervor. They sound good sung by me, and they especially sound good with my band.

About one or two songs per record is me doing a little bloodletting.

Do not trust anybody but yourself. If people want to help you, fine. Put it on paper and understand exactly what every word says.

I still fall back a lot on my Les Paul, and there is just no getting away from a Les Paul and a hot pickup.

You don’t have control of the car, but you can drive it. Life takes you where it wants you to go and where you need to go.

I’ve always kind of been a little skeptical about bands that won’t play their hits. That’s really arrogant to me as a music fan. I do want to hear obscure songs, but like most people,...

Any artist manages his own business along with his manager. Every band should.

I have a pet peeve about bands that don’t play their hits. I think it’s kind of selfish.

I think Everclear is a weird combination of a singer-songwriter and a hard-rock band. That’s why some people really dig the band, and some don’t.

I’m a 50-year-old guy making music for over 20 years. I’ve been writing songs since I was 20, so it’s really been 30 years, and it’s always been personal, but I’ve always told stories.

Maybe I’ll work for a label someday, write some fiction, nonfiction. Someday I’d like to go back to school and get my teaching degree. I want to be a grandpa. I want to have more...

Call me, and I’d do anything for the Democratic Party.

The thing I love about Myspace is it’s a safe place where I can talk to fans every day.

I think The Police made five great records and then called it a day. They went out on top.

That’s what I think our jobs as parents are, to educate as much as possible… I tell them to follow their bliss. The people who follow their bliss in this world tend to be the...

My frustration has always been that I’m a Christian, but I don’t buy into, never have bought into, the belief that Jesus and God are these men who just dictate that this is how you...

Being a child that grew up with a single mom back in the ’70s, Father’s Day to me was always a very uncomfortable time. At school, we would make Father’s Day cards for our dads,...

For the most part, I don’t like people who soapbox.

My favorite drive is Highway 101 in California between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. I love the 101; Highway 1 is too windy, and 5 is too boring – the 101 is just right....

I try to talk about things I know about. But my characters are more of a combination of people or how I imagine people would feel.

I wish I could come home to a life that looks like a TV show. I wish I could see my television family waiting for me, where no one fights and no one screams, no...

Being a parent is not just about how you treat your child; it’s also about how you treat the other parent. If you treat that person with respect, that’s fine, that’s the way to go....

I do like my sugar at night, but I try to keep it to a minimum.

Fatherhood, both times for me, was a choice.

I’d actually like to make a country album one day. One of my idols is Neil Young, because he’s kept himself from being bored.

A lot of people do not like singer-songwriters, and a lot of people who like them do not like hard rock. It’s either-or.

Forgiveness is hard for me, man. It is for most American-Western males. It’s a sign of weakness.

I like acting when I can pick my own roles, and I do. It’s fun. I like being creative, and it’s a creative process.

I like Nirvana, but I couldn’t say that I was influenced by them. I like to tell a story.

I’m constantly working, even when I’m at home.

If you can’t say it in three minutes, I don’t want to know about it.

I have my dark side like anybody, you know, depression, anxiety… and I write about gritty, real-life stuff.

I like acting, but I like filmmaking better. I went to film school. I want to make films.

I like older people; I think older people have a lot of flavor.

I’m not a politician. I’m not running for office. I can say what I think.

If you live in L.A. long enough, you get into having a cool car.