Guy Picciotto

“You can't be what you can't see.”

“For us, the idea of DIY wasn't just about putting out your own records; it was about creating your own culture, your own way of doing things.”

“The five-dollar shows were a way to make sure that our music was accessible to everyone, not just people with money.”

“I don't really have any interest in nostalgia. I'm always more interested in what's happening now.”

“The minute you start thinking about the audience, you're dead. You have to make the music for yourself first.”

“We never thought of ourselves as being a political band. We were just writing about our lives, and our lives were political.”

“We were very conscious of not wanting to become a commodity.”

“I think the best art is the art that asks questions rather than gives answers.”

“For me, punk was always about breaking down barriers, not building them up.”

“Success for us was never about selling records; it was about being able to continue to make music on our own terms.”

“The energy of a live show is something that can't be replicated.”

“We always wanted to demystify the whole process of being in a band.”

“The idea was to try and make music that was as direct and as honest as possible.”

“We were never interested in being rock stars. That whole mythology was something we were actively trying to dismantle.”

“It was really important for us to play all-ages shows because we remembered what it was like to be a kid and not be able to get in to see bands you loved.”

“The term 'emo' has been so co-opted and commercialized that it's lost all of its original meaning.”