Ezra Koenig Quotes

There aren't that many people walking about who are a total class stereotype.

We live in such extreme times that I think we all have a responsibility to be aware of what's happening and talk about it.

Tom Cruise is one of the most successful actors of all time.

If I can't do that at age 33, I'll probably never be able to do it. As you enter your thirties, things get a little more squiggly, with life spreading out in different directions. All of that makes me think that now's the time to do what you really want to do and not have that same type of youthful anxiety about every step.

Making every record is a process full of tough times.

Sometimes you want to dress a certain way... that doesn't always reflect your pedigree.

Sometimes I surprise myself with how dissatisfied I am with seemingly satisfying experiences.

It's pretty cool that people will pay for something even though they don't have to. It's totally different now to back in the day. Now you're paying for a record because you believe in the band. In the future that will be the only time people will pay for albums, because there's some kind of connection.

My dad has a really great record collection that basically went up to the year I was born: 1984.

It's really hard to even talk about the internet without seeming instantly corny.

I do think sometimes there's danger in guest appearance mania. I've seen too many examples that sound cool on paper, like 'Oh, get that guy to sing the hook on that guy's song,' and then that's all it is. It's a cool idea that sounds good on paper.

You can be 24 and continue to live like you're at college, or even continue to live like you're in high school. Or you can put on a shirt and tie and pretend to be an adult.

As an artist you have the luxury of maybe presenting an issue in a certain way, as opposed to actually solving it.

Rapping and singing are not two polar opposites. There's so much middle ground. And I think there's a lot of people who find that middle ground.

Musicals don't get enough credit for being so surreal. It's like an alternate universe.

I like how Ralph Lauren creates a mystical world through his clothing.

I go to great pains to find the best yogurt and granola.

I feel like you constantly have to prove why you deserve to continue to exist.

Anyways, trying to express yourself to the press is often like arguing with a hysterical person.

If you're lonely, bored, or unhappy, remember you are mad young. There is so much time to meet new people and go to new places.

It's cool to have instruments lying around because they give you different ideas.

I think that anybody who's anti-selfie is really just a hater. Because, truthfully, why shouldn't people take pictures of themselves? When I'm on Instagram and I see that somebody took a picture of themselves, I'm like, 'Thank you.' I don't need to see a picture of the sky, the trees, plants. There's only one you.

No part of Manhattan these days really has the same vibe I get from a Ramones song or a Velvet Underground song.

I still to this day get the most inspiration from rap lyrics.

I'm a huge fan of the Bay Area so I always love coming to San Francisco.

But you know what? When I die, everybody is invited to come take a selfie at my funeral. Except for my enemies. They're not invited to the funeral, period.

I'm pretty sure that the Walkmen are the band that I've paid to see the most in my life.

In Europe, I always have fun bike riding in Amsterdam.

Growing up listening to rap music, you almost feel like you should have haters. That's an important part of being a successful musician. It's a good thing, I guess.

I don't like to generalize but I've had nothing but bad experiences with Mexican food in Europe.

My dad grew up in a working-class Jewish neighbourhood, and I got a scholarship from my dad's union to go to college. I went there to get an education, not as an extension of privilege.

If kids and teenagers can get into a band, its probably not because they think its brainy.

One of the things I've always loved about anime is that, even though it comes from Japan, it's so international - so much of the big anime I love takes place in Italy or France or New York.

I could Google image search 'the sky' and I would probably see beautiful images to knock my socks off. But I can't Google, you know, 'What does my friend look like today?' For you to be able to take a picture of yourself that you feel good enough about to share with the world - I think that's a great thing.

Playing 'Tetris' for 15 minutes is like meditation.

I still think that if you're excited about something, you have to work at it.

Well, growing up in the '90s, my first true love was ska music.

All I know for sure is that issues like race, like class, are always best approached with compassion and open-mindedness.

I'm down with Spotify. I don't know all the financial details but generally it's a great resource.

Some people say video games rot your brain, but I think they work different muscles that maybe you don't normally use.