Like all types of music, rock and roll is a form of expression. Even though many rock stars are known to be a bit too inebriated to mouth off intelligible words, somehow they have managed to wax meaningful quotes and words of wisdom on classic rock and anything that’s associated with it.
In fact, artists are never short of colorful commentary and expressions with respect to music, culture and the influence of rock. Here are some of the more well-known quotes from the world of classic rock:
“Before Elvis, there was nothing. It is no doubt that Elvis brought both electrifying presence and significant change to rock and roll, and modern-day pop culture has a lot to be indebted to him for” – John Lennon idolizing and reiterating the invaluable importance and contributions of Elvis Presley to classic Rock
“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock and roll or Christianity.” – John Lennon on the influence and cultural apex of the Beatles. The Fab Four’s front man would eventually receive many backlash about his comments, for which he would later apologize.
“If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry” – John Lennon’s acknowledgment of the class and quality of another rock and roll artist, Chuck Berry
“If it’s illegal to rock and roll, throw my ass in jail!” – Kurt Cobain on rock and roll by sparking a rebellious tone against those who would condemn the music
“What would rock and roll be without ambition, craziness, danger, and fun?” – Pete Wentz eulogizing all the entrapments of pure rock and roll
“Rock and roll is the hamburger that ate the world” – Peter York on the immense popularity and influence of rock and roll worldwide
“Elvis may be the King of Rock and Roll, but I am the Queen” – Little Richard
“Rock and roll keeps you in a constant state of juvenile delinquency.” – Eddie Spaghetti on the roller-coaster rebellion that rock and roll inspires
“We believed that anything that was worth doing was worth overdoing.” – Steven Tyler
“I’m not God but if I were God, ¾ of you would be girls, and the rest would be pizza and beer.” – Axl Rose of Guns n’ Roses
“Jazz, isn’t that just a series of mistakes disguised as musical composition?” – David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap
“Rock and roll is a nuclear blast of reality in a mundane world where no one is allowed to be magnificent.” – Kim Fowley, former manager of the Runaways
“Rock and roll music, if you like it, if you feel it, you can’t help but to move to it. That’s what happens to me. I can’t help it” – Elvis Presley
“I am classic rock revisited, I revisit it every waking moment of my life because it has the spirit and the attitude and the fire and the middle finger. I am Rosa Parks with a Gibson guitar” – Ted Nugent
“Why would you want to be anything else if you’re Mick Jagger?” – Keith Richards
“Rock and roll is the most brutal, ugly, desperate, vicious form of expression it has been my misfortune to hear” – Frank Sinatra on rock and roll
“It’s boring to be 70, I don’t want to be there, I’ll be dead and gone, I don’t have any aspirations to be 70…” – Freddie Mercury
“They’d say ‘if ya play the record backwards, you can hear evil things like grrrr!’ and I would think, ‘Jeez, I didn’t know the devil sounded like that.’ I thought he was coherent, like the rest of us.” – Brian Johnson of AC/DC
“I used to jog but the ice cubes kept falling out of my glass.” – Dave Lee Roth of Van Halen
“Just because I cut the heads off dolls doesn’t mean I hate babies, I just hate dolls.” – Alice Cooper
“I’m a family oriented guy; I’ve personally started four or five this year.“ – David Lee Roth of Van Halen
“Classic rock radio gave us our longevity.” – George Thorogood
“You see, rock and roll isn’t a career or hobby – it’s a life force. It’s something very essential.” – The Edge of U2