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606

Clarity and truth
09 July 2003

Man, Andrew WK is one quotable motherfucker.

"I used to carry this card in my pocket that had a list of things that I would think of and try to hold in my mind. The first one was 'Don't be a fucking wimp.' That took care of almost every situation that I was in. If I was feeling depressed or whiny or discouraged, I'd pull that card out and say, 'Don't be a fucking wimp!' That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel sad or have human emotions. But take a look around. Look at how good my life is. Don't be a fucking wimp! Snap out of it! Another one was 'Never let down.' Again, that's just to never stop trying. Life is too short. 'Life is short,' that was on there. This might be my one chance to do this, so aren't you going to make the most of it? It's better to regret what you've done than what you haven't. I say 'no regrets period' now. No regrets, no guilt, no embarrassment, no shame. Another one was 'You'll only live once,' which is tied in with that. And 'No fear' was huge. However, I've updated that, because it's impossible to have no fear. You'll always fear, but it's facing the fear. Someone who has no fear is not nearly as brave as someone who has fears and faces them. I believe everybody has fears, and to deny them is just putting up more walls."

"I wanted to make satisfying songs that did exactly what you wanted them to do and did it again and again, and just kept paying off. That didn't punch you in the face, but instead just gave you a big, firm handshake and a hug. Instant gratification. ... That's one of the most important things here: that nobody is turned away and nobody is left out and nobody is judged based on how they look or waht they like or what they don't like or even why they like it. There's no wrong reason to like my music. There's no wrong reason to like anything. This music is freedom."

"Even the saddest day is a miracle for me. When you have food, when you have a place to sleep, when you have friends and family and general health and safety, you have no right to complain. You're living life, and at that point it's up to you what you're going to do with it. Never concede this life, you know what I mean? I'm going to make all that I can of it for everyone else. This is not a return to the good old days. This is not a reaction to things that are bad now. It's not, 'Things suck and we need to make them good again.' This is forging ahead into uncharted territory. This is about working hard and inviting everybody into an unending, inexhaustible source of strength and energy. There's no rules, no limits, no, 'Oh, you're giving too much of yourself away. You've got to take it easy.' No! I'm doing fine!"

"In this world, there are people who honestly believe they know best, and they really do. You can't stop what you can't end. And that's how I look at any of these things. You can cover up a field with a parking lot, but the field is still underneath there. You can build buildings all over the earth, but weeds will still grow up through the cement. I have enough energy and strength to find what I need to find, no matter how hard they try to cover it up. People give them too much credit--these corporations, or whoever is ruining people. Well, you may allow them to ruin you, but they don't touch me. I'm not even gonna get into the whole multinational-corporation thing, but... It's just a matter of time, let's put it that way."

"You know when you really like something, and you know that that thing you really love loves itself and loves you? It's a total bummer when you love something and go up to the person who's working on it, and you say, 'God! This is so great! I love this so much!' And they're like, 'Eh. Thanks, but it's no big deal.' When someone comes up and tells me that they love the music, I yell, 'Me, too!' And we just hug. It's that feeling that the people playing those songs are loving them just as much as you are while you're dancing, and that you could be up on that stage and playing those songs just as well. That is the point. The uncharted territory is that there is no line to be crossed. You don't have to hold back. This is our time. We have not lived and died yet. It has not all been done. It has not all been seen."

"A great song is that friend that will be there in the morning. You put it on first thing and it sets the day straight, it organizes things in your head, it makes you happy, it's comforting. And then you get home at night and it's there to put you to sleep. It's right there smiling and waiting for you. The minute you turn your back on it and don't want to listen to it, it's still there waiting for you. The minute you come back to it, it's there with open arms, never in judgment. And that's what this is, and that's what I am, and that's what we're doing. We will always be there. I will never let people down. I promise I will always do what I can. Have the faith to believe in this, and I will, too. In a world of confusion and pessimism, we can maintain some sort of clarity and truth."


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