I think you can totally be a totally normal kid from the suburbs of Chicago and go off and play shows. It's one of those things that when you go home, you're still the nerd you were when you left, and your parents still get to yell at you about cleaning up your room, and your girlfriend still drags you to the pet store.
Patrick StumpI love playing our older songs along with newer ones but If all I have is my old stuff, I quit. Creating is more rewarding.
Patrick StumpEveryone wants to pretend like they sprang out of the ground with an Animal Collective record in their hands and a David Bowie haircut, and that's just not the case. You discover these things gradually.
Patrick StumpGood music is good music, regardless of where it comes from. I think that's a really important thing to carry with you.
Patrick StumpAdvice? Focus on the craft. Study the greats. Try and understand how and why they made the writing choices they did. Then, start by copying them...just as an exercise. See if you can do similar things. Learn how to write a song like so and so. Then, when you've done that, write a song like yourself. Learn to color within the lines before going outside them.
Patrick Stump