Quotes by John Oates

About John Oates:

John William Oates is an American rock, R&B and soul guitarist, musician, songwriter and producer best known as half of the rock and soul duo, Hall & Oates (with Daryl Hall).
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I don't care if it's a Cole Porter song, or George Gershwin, or Lennon/McCartney, or Elton John, or you know, whoever, Bob Dylan. Great songs are great songs, and they stand the test of time, and they can be interpreted and recorded with many points ...

John Oates

Personally, I've never really wanted to be a rock star. That wasn't my motivation in life. It kind of happened.

John Oates

I love what Alabama Shakes is doing - it's kind of like what grunge did to rock 'n' roll, they're doing to R&B.

John Oates

I used to love assemblies because it got me out of class.

John Oates

We've been together since we've been teenagers. I can go away and disappear for two years, and when we get back together, it's like nothing ever has changed.

John Oates

If Daryl stopped touring it would be a big part of him missing.

John Oates

You have to know when to strike and when to retreat.

John Oates

'Maneater' is about N.Y.C. in the '80s. It's about greed, avarice, and spoiled riches.

John Oates

You don't want to pitch a tent and live inside the Louvre. You want to check it out, appreciate it, and move somewhere else.

John Oates

The mustache represented the old John; I didn't want to be that guy anymore, so I shaved it off. It was ritualistic in a way.

John Oates

I realized if I'm not really making an album, I don't have to be concerned about things like stylistic consistency, pacing, a coherent mood. All that stuff goes out the window.

John Oates

My mustache has become this weird iconic representation of a certain era.

John Oates

I couldn't wait to grow a mustache. I stopped shaving my upper lip the day I graduated from high school.

John Oates

I do a lot of things behind the scenes. I do a lot of things that don't hit the headlines.

John Oates

There's all sorts of soul. There's Irish soul and Native American soul. If it touches you and moves you, it's soul.

John Oates

I didn't make a solo album until the year 2000.

John Oates

Having a mustache and never smiling became a permanent component of my persona through the quaintly self-important decade of the seventies.

John Oates

I think social media is so important; the young bands have certainly embraced that and used that to their advantage.

John Oates

When albums gave way to CDs, people re-discovered their collection through their CDs.

John Oates

There's always a personal satisfaction in writing a song by yourself. You get the inspiration, and see it through, and you're done. It's focused and very personal.

John Oates

I'd like to do something with the Avett Brothers.

John Oates

Author Bio

  • NameJohn Oates
  • DescriptionAmerican musician and member of Hall & Oates
  • AliasesJohn William Oates
  • BornApril 7, 1949
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionMusician; Singer