Mark Foster Quotes
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I wanted to be an attorney all the way up until I was 17.
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I'm really into the recycling of art. That one piece of art inspires another piece of art, which inspires another piece of art. I really like that idea.
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I remember, in middle school, I went to four different schools. That was a rough patch. But it's also what shaped me as a person.
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If I was 13 years old and Kurt Cobain tweeted me some advice or even just said hi, my whole world would be affected by that.
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Once I write something, I never try to write that same style again, because I get very schizophrenic musically.
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Writing for other people is easier than writing for myself - it's not as personal.
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I could have pigeonholed us and wrote a whole record like 'Pumped Up Kicks,' and we would have been this breezy, nostalgic West Coast Beach Boys recreation band. That's not the type of writer I am. Once I try one style, I move on.
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My aunts and uncles were like, 'You've got such a great voice - why don't you try out for 'American Idol?'' I'd say, 'Because I'm a songwriter, not a puppet.' Even if I won and became really successful off a show like that, I'd be miserable.
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I was always extremely independent growing up.
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We've grown up on the Beach Boys and the Beatles and Blur and Bowie and the Clash. Also E.L.O. and Hall and Oates. Those are all artists who write songs that are accessible but still left of center. It's intelligent pop. There's still something different and complex about it.
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The jingles saved my life. When I got hired to do that, I was on top. I finally was making a living doing what I loved. Before that, it was so bleak; it got so dark in L.A. I was 25, been living there for seven years trying to make it, and getting really close to getting signed with different bands and as a solo artist only to have my hopes dashed.
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Music is the great equalizer.
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I'd rather be a poor singer/songwriter doing what I love than get rich from selling my soul.
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Art brings to life things that can seemingly be dead, and can put a fresh perspective on things that are living. It's so important we keep creating.
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I had really bad grades in high school and didn't want to go to college, and my dad said, 'Why don't you move to L.A. or New York and pursue music? You've always been good at it.' It was the first thing that made sense to me and... It was the right move.
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I think my inner child wants to take over the world.
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Through technology and social media, we're able to create an identity online that shows people the face that we want them to see and rather than who they really are.
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There were times when I was terrified to go to school because it felt like a jail sentence.
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I love to honour people and to write positive songs about them.
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When you're underwater with goggles on, a couple of your senses are taken away, and it becomes this purely visual thing. It's just you and yourself.
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If I'm with people who are really positive and go with the flow, that's when the best ideas come out for me.
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I started out with piano when I was little. That, for songwriting, is my favorite instrument.
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It's the meanest thing to abuse your power as a songwriter. To write pointedly about someone... it's kind of unfair to use them. They can't answer you or have a rebuttal.
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When I write a song, the music comes from my spirit, which is very playful and optimistic, but then the lyrics come from my head, which is in a different space.