Courtney Barnett Quotes

I played in school jazz bands and tried to start rock bands, but nobody was interested.

An album is a thing you take time out and go work on.

We’re a very success-driven culture, which is such a downer at times. Even if you don’t think that way, you’re forced to think that way. Everyone is trying to subconsciously out-do everyone else.

Artists thrive off each other, and when you see other people doing cool stuff, it inspires you to do cool stuff.

I’m very hands on with my music – I do all the artwork and everything myself – and the songs I write aren’t necessarily the most commercial.

I really want a Christmas in New York one year, when it’s snowing. Like, it’s Christmas morning, and you have a fight with someone, and you run down the street, and it’s snowing, and you can’t find them.

Leaving the house is a big enough occasion for me, so getting on a plane and flying across the world and playing to a room full of people is just out of this world.

I’m just not very comfortable talking about my emotions on a normal, day-to-day basis.

I liked the idea of being a photographer, just that you take this one picture of this one thing that’ll never happen again – it’s a bit weird when you think about it.

I grew up listening to Nirvana and then went through some bad ’90s pop stuff – a lot of Australian one-hit wonders.

People are like, ‘Wow you started your own record label,’ and treat me like I’m some sort of innovative genius, when I’m not at all. You’ve got the Internet and music – you put them together, and people hear your music.

You can’t read when you’re traveling with other people; it always feels a bit rude.

When I started Milk! Records, it was a pretty non-profit making venture.

I don’t like to overcook songs.

If I write something down, it’s normally just a sharp one-liner.

I’m self-deprecating – I spend a lot of time telling myself that things are OK, as opposed to having to tell myself to get over things.

I just want to be self-sustainable so that I can continue to just do what I like to do and not make a million dollars. Nobody needs a million dollars.