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Jerry Cantrell Quotes (1966-)
Writer, Musician, King
About Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell (born March 18, 1966) is an American musician who is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist and main songwriter for the rock band Alice in Chains. Cantrell also has a solo career and released the albums Boggy Depot in 1998 and Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 in 2002.
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“Interview with SiriusXM on May 4, 2018
[Seattle] It's a small town and we all knew each other. It means the world to me that I was able to spend time with the guy [Chris Cornell] to create what we all created in the same town.”
“(June 27, 2018), Alice in Chains Talk Honoring Seattle Comrades With New Album 'Rainier Fog'
There's only ever been six members of this band, and there'll only ever be six members of this band.”
“Liner notes, Music Bank box set, 1999.
I was pretty hammered when I wrote that tune - I just started humming this thing I had in my head, and I grabbed this guitar I made in high school - it's a white Strat that I call Embo. Anyway, I grabbed the guitar and wrote it out in about 20 to 30 minutes.”
“(February 21, 2019), Alice In Chains Bring It Home, work: MixDown
The best thing you can do as an artist and if you’ve had some success is not to listen to your old fucking records anymore – unless you need to learn a song. When it comes time to writing and making a new record, don’t fucking listen to that shit.”
“On "Man In The Box". **Jerry Cantrell Explaining Alice In Chains' "Man In The Box", work: YouTube
The song is us against the world, those people who put you down: "I put up with many years of you putting us down and watching us bleed, now I'd like to see you bleed some back."”
“On "Cut You In". **(June 1998), Interview with Guitar World Magazine
The song is directed at the type of folk who ride with you when shit is good. But when your situation turns south, they're the first to bail–unlike true friends.”
“(June 27, 2018), Alice in Chains Talk Honoring Seattle Comrades With New Album 'Rainier Fog'
It's weird to be 52 years old and have been in a band for 30 years and still doing it at a high level. In life, a lot of time is about finding your family, and it's not blood family. I found my family. We're still going through this thing.”
“On "Voices". **(May 23, 2013), Jerry Cantrell Gives The Dirt On Alice In Chains' New Album, work: Grammy.com
"Voices," in terms of songwriting, is very internal, it's not external. It comes from a very personal place, but of course it can be applied to anything, from any place in society.”
“On "We Die Young". **Liner notes, Music Bank box set, 1999.
It's basically about how government and media control the public's perception of events in the world or whatever, and they build you into a box by feeding it to you in your home. And it's about breaking out of that box and looking outside of that box that has been built for you.”
“(June 27, 2018), Alice in Chains Talk Honoring Seattle Comrades With New Album 'Rainier Fog'
It gets really difficult to be the guy that has to talk about your dead friends all the time. ... After 15 years of talking about my friends dying, you just really want to focus on life and moving forward because that's really all I can control. I miss the hell out of all of them.”
“(May 1, 2014), Guitar gods: Zakk Wylde and Jerry Cantrell on wielding the ax, work: Weekender
We've been really fortunate in most of our career to be able to make music when we feel like it, rather than having to be on somebody else's schedule. Which is really nice. So, we take advantage of that and there's really no reason to put music out unless it's something we feel strongly and stand behind.”
“On "Grind". **Liner notes, Music Bank box set, 1999.
That's about a girl I was dating in between one of the times I broke up with my true love. A lot of times you'll tell someone how you don't want to be in a relationship and why, and what kind of person you are, and they hear all that but think that they can change you. That's what the song's about, getting me wrong and the different ways that men and women see each other.”
“On "Would?". **Liner notes, Music Bank box set, 1999.
["Down in a Hole"]'s in my top three, personally. It's to my long-time love. It's the reality of my life, the path I've chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It's hard for us to both understand...that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.”
“On "Check My Brain". **(August 17, 2009), Interview with The Pulse of Radio, work: Blabbermouth
Yeah, it's kind of a funny thing. Being from Seattle, it's pretty easy to make fun of the Southern California lifestyle, or maybe it's easy for a lot of people to take a shot at it. But this is where I ended up, and still can't believe I'm living here. But I'm digging it! No need to rock the boat, man.”
“(February 21, 2019), Alice In Chains Being It Home, work: MixDown
It's never been my intention to be dark. I guess I just maybe talk about stuff that's more real, you know what I mean? There's plenty of stuff out there to distract you from stuff. I'm not really trying to distract anybody from anything, and I'm trying not to look away from myself or somebody else that's either scary, disturbing, something that I don't like about somebody or myself. I'm trying to look at those things without looking away.”
“(February 21, 2019), Alice In Chains Being It Home, work: MixDown
The cool thing about this band, and it’s a goal that we always had, we start from zero every time. It doesn’t matter what we did before, how much success we had before or which records had more impact than the others. None of that shit. You’ve got to start from fucking zero every time.
The thing that carries over is us. We’ve been doing this a long time and William’s been with us quite a while now too. We know collectively and individually what this thing needs to be.”
“On "Them Bones. **Interview with RIP Magazine, February 1993
I was just thinking about mortality, that one of these days we'll end up a pile of bones. It's a thought for every human being, whether you believe in an after-life or that when we die, that's it. The thought that all the beautiful things and knowledge and experiences you've been through just end when you end scares me, the thought that when you close your eyes for good, it's gone forever.”
“On "Rainier Fog". **(August 2018), No Excuses, work: Classic Rock Magazine
We had the song ‘Rainier Fog’ and that kind of encompasses our whole existence, where we come from, who we are as a band – also where we are now. It’s taking into account 1987 to here.
We’re very proud to be from the Northwest. It’s just a great place to live, to be from, to create in. So that was an important song and after we had recorded there, it made sense to call the record [Rainier Fog] too. It just all lined up.”
“(June 27, 2018), Alice in Chains Talk Honoring Seattle Comrades With New Album 'Rainier Fog'
I'm excited every time we put a record out. You never know when you're not going to get to make another record again, or another show. Life happens. We've been through a few instances of stoppage – of OK, that's it. We know what that's about. That makes you really cherish the time that you have and the opportunities you get when you get them. That makes it mean a little bit more. Life is impermanent, and bands are even more so.”
“On "Got Me Wrong". **Liner notes, Music Bank box set, 1999.
That song's about me. It was directed towards my ex-girlfriend. I had been going out with her for about six years off and on. It was all about me trying to be a monogamous person, which I had never been. It would get to where I felt choked and would blow up at her, and that would be it. I had to stop. So, that song's about kicking myself for being such a jerk to her. I love her to death and I always will, but it's just not healthy for us to be together.”
“On "Heaven Beside You". **Interview with Request Magazine, February 1996
That's about the band. It's about the breakup that took place between us. Those lines "Can you stand right here and look me in the eye and tell me it's over?" We couldn't, when it came right down to it. Even if it ended today, though, I love the guys in this band, even if we never recorded again. I would be sad, but if it came down to where it's killing us and we're growing too far apart... It's like that line, "When it's all worn out, I'd rather go without."”
“On "Cut You In". **(April 18, 1998}), The Modern Age, work: Billboard
The song basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside. A cell of our own making with an unlocked door that we choose to remain in. Focusing our attention inward instead of reaching out to a much larger world. I think this is common to us all. It's funny how hard we fight to hang on to a bone we can't pull through a hole in the fence, or how difficult it is to put down the bag of bricks and move on.”
“On "A Looking in View". **(July 1, 2009), Alice in Chains Post New Song Online, work: Guitar World
There's a certain aspect of sarcasm, I guess, being a guy from Seattle who lives in L.A., ex-drug addict who lives in the belly of the beast and doesn't partake, and being totally cool with that...It's like being the bad gambler and living in Vegas. It's right there. It's just the irony of that and a little bit of sarcasm. And it's not putting this place down at all. It's just kind of like, 'Wow, you know, check my brain, wow.'”
What Jerry Cantrell Said About Others
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Jerry Cantrell on Layne Staley 3 quotes
“It's something I'm still dealing with, and I still think like he's here. I miss him tremendously. I love him and have to move on. I'll remember him and respect the memories of what we did together and just enjoy life... and that's all I'll say about it.”
Quotes About Jerry Cantrell
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Source on Jerry Cantrell 52 quotes
“(November 13, 2013), A Looking In View: Jerry Cantrell on Alice in Chains' legacy, publisher: The Skinny
I don’t Twitter. I don’t Facebook. I think it’s ridiculous that people are that important that people really need to know they are going to the grocery store or what club they are at [laughs]. I think it’s pretty ridiculous and self-indulgent. I’ll interact with my fans when I see them. We do our Web site, and that type of stuff, but I’m not interested in [social networking] at all. You shouldn’t know that much about people, you know what I mean? Because when it really comes down to it, people aren’t that fuckin’ interesting. They really aren’t. It’s more than a little creepy. You shouldn’t know everything. Everything shouldn’t be so transparent. There should be a little mystery and magic to life, and also people should have a little bit of privacy. Everybody deserves a little bit of that.”
Layne Staley Interviewed by Don Kaye in 1996 on Jerry Cantrell
“Layne Staley on how he met Jerry Cantrell, quoted in”
About Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell (born March 18, 1966) is an American musician who is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist and main songwriter for the rock band Alice in Chains. Cantrell also has a solo career and released the albums Boggy Depot in 1998 and Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 in 2002.