John Fogerty’s 17 Best Quotes

John Fogerty’s voice should be in the Smithsonian.

Truly, it’s one of the best rock vocals of all time. It’s peppy and dynamic, but it’s also gritty and gritty. It’s a feat that few have managed to achieve with such vigor and quality.

Using this voice, Fogerty is responsible for some of the great songs in American rock music history, from “Have You Seen The Rain” to “Fortunate Son” and “Proud Mary”, and many more.

But what does the outspoken and indelible 77-year-old California-born singer have to say outside of his music, outside of his popular songs? What were his thoughts on life and love, his job and the world in general?

This is the subject of today’s investigation. So, without further ado, let’s dive into John Fogerty’s 17 best quotes.

1. “You should play with real musicians; the best music comes from real people interacting with each other.

2. “I don’t know if all the demons have been defeated, but I’m very, very proud of these songs.

3. “But I think beauty is simple and elegant, like a ballad with simple harmony.”

4. “I’m like a twenty-two-year-old kid in a new band trying to get noticed and break through because the vast majority of people have never seen me play live.”

5. “There just aren’t many guys playing like that these days; a lot of steel players plug into pedals, trying to sound like Jeff Beck on a steel guitar.

6. “When I did Blue Moon Swamp, there was a lot of trial and error; I was trying to find people who would be sympathetic to my style and what I had in mind for the album.

7. “I’ve also become much more of the musician I always wanted to be.”

8. “Even though James Burton was my idol, I didn’t think I could wear his shoes back then.

9. “I’ve studied a lot of great people over the years – Pete Seeger, James Brown – and tried to incorporate elements that I admired, although I can’t say I dance like James. “

10. “I’m comfortable playing a lot of old songs now and I’ve released a lot of old gear.”

11. “I’ve always believed that with real talent and a commitment to hard work, it’s possible to gain lasting respect and appreciation. In other words, I don’t take my fans for granted.

12. “I wrote this song for my wife, and it’s what a guy sitting under a tree would sing to the woman in his life, telling her how wonderful she is. To me, it’s more durable than something that looks like it belongs in a movie soundtrack.

13. “I work hard for it, but the fact that there are a lot of great songs means there are also a lot of really bad songs that I wrote that you never hear.”

14. “I thought what I was good at doing was playing real simple guitar riffs, since I cut my teeth on what Duane Eddy did; simple licks that lasted.

15. “Now that I’m older, I like almost anything well done, even surf music and instrumentals.”

16. “I pretty much went for a tone, and I knew then that I wanted to play a Rickenbacker.”

17. “I usually destroy unreleased material. It has a way of coming back to haunt you.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/WireImage