Nellie McKay Quotes

In high school, I was always into Jerry Lee Lewis, and they decided they needed a piano player for the jazz band. I had my little boogie-woogie thing that I did, so I did my little boogie-woogie thing. I had a very high-pitched voice.

I think I have advanced ADD.

I thought I had a talent for alienating people, but I have no idea what it is that doesn't go over.

In New York City, when they develop something, they never use the old buildings. It's so wasteful. Why not use what's there?

I will say that art may well be the only thing that lasts, so I guess it's worth trying.

I think there are nice things about every era. I wish we could just take the nice things.

I never know how to get off the phone, so I'm terribly admiring of people who can.

I'm not sure I know how to make music anymore. Maybe you're given a window into things for a time, and beyond that maybe it goes away. Why should you expect it to stay?

I kind of go for the MGM version of every musical style.

The other kids wanted to play Destiny's Child, but I wanted Anita O'Day.

I tried to be just a singer of standards when I was starting out. And there was nothing special enough about my voice to make it that far. So I feel a bit like Rod Stewart. Once you've had that rock career, people will give you that chance where otherwise they might not.

If you look through the century, certain things have gotten better and certain things have gotten worse. I wouldn't say overall that things have gotten better. I think you could say things have gotten worse, but I don't think you could say that things have gotten better. Overall. You can't say that.

I have trouble with any kind of focus or concentrating, or getting anything done at all, really.

I'd love to give my music to someone who really likes to wow the crowd. I feel like half the time I just want to hide in the dressing room!

I guess you deal with what you get.

Love is such a fleeting emotion. It's such a small part of the things you do in your life.

If we went back to the basics of vegetables, legumes, grains - the things closer to the Earth - it's a lot better for the Earth and for other people. We can feed more people, we can feed the starving people.

There's a side of me that identifies with Aileen Wuornos.

I don't listen to much rap, really. I can rarely listen to a whole record of it, because musically, it's very formulaic, and oftentimes it doesn't have the best hooks on every track.

I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.

I really don't care what people say. It's amazing that feminism continues to exist at all, considering how much counter-feminism is out there.

In the hierarchy of instruments, if you're a harpist, you're considered someone with a brain much more than if you're a singer.

The civilised cultures are the most cruel. It's the same with education - often it breeds sadistic forms of cruelty.

You know, I wanted to get married, and so I - but I, you know, I realize no matter what you want, it's kind of a fantasy.