I had really bad grades in high school and didn’t want to go to college, and my dad said, ‘Why don’t you move to L.A. or New York and pursue music? You’ve always been good at it.’ It was the first thing that made sense to me and… It was the right move. Mark Foster Read Quote
Arcade Fire has kept their indie cred. They will sell out stadiums yet still have underdog status. But when you’re a band like Coldplay, people are waiting to knock you down. Mark Foster Read Quote
I could have pigeonholed us and wrote a whole record like ‘Pumped Up Kicks,’ and we would have been this breezy, nostalgic West Coast Beach Boys recreation band. That’s not the type of writer I am. Once I try one style, I move on. Mark Foster Read Quote
It’s funny: the one time I got star-struck was when I met Snoop Dogg. I gave him a hug and said, ‘I love you, man.’ Mark Foster Read Quote
I remember, in middle school, I went to four different schools. That was a rough patch. But it’s also what shaped me as a person. Mark Foster Read Quote
I don’t consider myself an entertainer. I consider myself an artist, and I think with that comes responsibility. Mark Foster Read Quote
My aunts and uncles were like, ‘You’ve got such a great voice – why don’t you try out for ‘American Idol?” I’d say, ‘Because I’m a songwriter, not a puppet.’ Even if I won and became really successful off a show like that, I’d be miserable. Mark Foster Read Quote
There were times when I was terrified to go to school because it felt like a jail sentence. Mark Foster Read Quote
The jingles saved my life. When I got hired to do that, I was on top. I finally was making a living doing what I loved. Before that, it was so bleak; it got so dark in L.A. I was 25, been living there for seven years trying to make it, and getting really close to getting signed with different bands and as a solo artist only to have my hopes dashed. Mark Foster Read Quote
