Ian Astbury

Professions :

Born :

May 14, 1962

You get paid and you get venerated and worshipped for pretending... by Ian Astbury

You get paid and you get venerated and worshipped for pretending to be somebody else.

pretending paid

I do know that there is a difference between artists who are career-driven and artists who have a calling and are just compelled to make music, compelled to perform live, and the business isn't the reason they're doing it. In fact, there isn't really a reason. You just do it.

differences careers artist

We never considered ourselves part of the goth thing. by Ian Astbury

We never considered ourselves part of the goth thing.

The days are usually filled with nonsense and every now and again somebody flies by the circus to party on your dime.

circus dimes party

What I consider to be the barometer for what is a rock artist and what is not, is somebody who has a certain element of blues, even a hint of soul or blues music, derivative of African-American blues, folk, spiritual, or gospel.

rocks artist spiritual

What is the popular image of rock star? A rail-thin, overly-paid, narcissistic, average-talented individual who self-implodes in front of everybody, eternally having a party and who looks eternally youthful?

rocks party stars

I admire Chris Martin. Coldplay have made some wonderful records for the genre they're involved in, but I would consider them to be more of a pop act. The music is much more cerebral than it is animalistic.

records made wonderful

I think there's a lot of people who are afraid to experiment with clothing because they're afraid to get judged or ridiculed.

experiments people thinking

When you look at men's fashion magazines, you see a lot of well-groomed guys in suits, but very rarely do you see a lot of guys in drop-crotch and hoods with high-tops. It's coming, though, because guys in suits and short hair are beginning to look like they're from another time.

fashion hair men

I write all the time. The wonderful thing about having a cell phone is that if I get an idea, I knock it out and it's in my phone and I can transfer it to my computer and go into the studio and bring it up.

phones cells writing

You come out of a working-class environment, you know, working-class kids always put them themselves together because it's one of the only things they had. You had control of your image.

together class kids

Peace on earth and good will toward men - that is something we need to work on. Like Nelson Mandela, we should learn from him.

earth men needs

Usually when I see Matthew [McConaughey] at a show, he'll be down in front with his shirt off with two beers just going mental, lit up and having an amazing time.

shirts beer two

I celebrate the spirit of Christmas. It's the winter solstice celebration, rebirth and new possibilities.

celebration spirit winter

I used to make all my clothes when I was in Southern Death Cult [the first incarnation of The Cult]. I still make things to wear on stage and I am involved with sketching, choosing fabric, cutting.

clothes cutting southern

I work at my life and I cultivate myself and don't spend six hours in a gym. Some people would say I should but why?

hours six people

I think the thing that would interest me would be to appear in a period piece where you'd get to dress in an elaborate costume and say nothing but just look fabulous and have a fancy role.

costumes dresses thinking

I have no desire to be a lead actor or anything. I was offered things and occasionally something comes along, but for the most part I'm pretty much, "You've got to be joking, right?"

I like the idea of getting to dress up, like to do a Barry Lyndon or something about the Napoleonic period, the grand army retreating from Moscow. I understand that there's a craft to acting and a lot of people work hard at it. I just know that music is my first love. I love music, I love film, and I love clothes.

first-love army hard-work

It's not about mainstream global domination. I make clothes that I can't find. I made a few pieces and Lupe Fiasco bought a pair of trousers I'd made, and a few other artists picked some up.

clothes pieces artist

Adam Jones

Izzy Stradlin

Bon Scott

Brad Delp

Brad Delson

Brian Eno