Ezra Koenig Quotes

#1. Sometimes you want to dress a certain way ... that doesn't always reflect your pedigree.

Ezra Koenig

#2. When Obama came to power, there was a lot of talk about a post-racial America.

Ezra Koenig

#3. I remember the first pangs of stress arriving at the end of school. Once I graduated I had to get a full-time job, worry about health insurance, saving money, paying rent - things I'd never thought about before.

Ezra Koenig

#4. I like how Ralph Lauren creates a mystical world through his clothing.

Ezra Koenig

#5. Anyways, trying to express yourself to the press is often like arguing with a hysterical person.

Ezra Koenig

#6. I feel like you constantly have to prove why you deserve to continue to exist.

Ezra Koenig

#7. Growing up listening to rap music, you almost feel like you should have haters. That's an important part of being a successful musician. It's a good thing, I guess.

Ezra Koenig

#8. No part of Manhattan these days really has the same vibe I get from a Ramones song or a Velvet Underground song.

Ezra Koenig

#9. It's cool to have instruments lying around because they give you different ideas.

Ezra Koenig

#10. It's really hard to even talk about the internet without seeming instantly corny.

Ezra Koenig

#11. A writer once asked what I'd say if i ever met my biggest hater. I paused, thought deeply and said, probably 'suk a dog dik, motherfuker

Ezra Koenig

#12. As an artist you have the luxury of maybe presenting an issue in a certain way, as opposed to actually solving it.

Ezra Koenig

#13. In Europe, I always have fun bike riding in Amsterdam.

Ezra Koenig

#14. Musicals don't get enough credit for being so surreal. It's like an alternate universe.

Ezra Koenig

#15. There aren't that many people walking about who are a total class stereotype.

Ezra Koenig

#16. I still think that if you're excited about something, you have to work at it.

Ezra Koenig

#17. I still to this day get the most inspiration from rap lyrics.

Ezra Koenig

#18. My dad grew up in a working-class Jewish neighbourhood, and I got a scholarship from my dad's union to go to college. I went there to get an education, not as an extension of privilege.

Ezra Koenig

#19. It's so easy for anyone to deal with their own guilt of being a middle-class white music fan by pointing to other people who they perceive to be richer than them, whiter than them.

Ezra Koenig

#20. Just because I grew up a white guy in America doesn't mean that's the music of my life.

Ezra Koenig

#21. I'm pretty sure that the Walkmen are the band that I've paid to see the most in my life.

Ezra Koenig

#22. I grew up listening to Jay-Z, and I think the first time I really became obsessed with learning and thinking about lyrics was when I started listening to rap; I was 11, 12, and started becoming aware of music beyond the familiar.

Ezra Koenig

#23. I went to Columbia University because I knew I wanted to go to a school that was academically rigorous. I prided myself on getting good grades, but I also hated it.

Ezra Koenig

#24. I'm a huge fan of the Bay Area so I always love coming to San Francisco.

Ezra Koenig

#25. I don't like to generalize but I've had nothing but bad experiences with Mexican food in Europe.

Ezra Koenig

#26. My dad has a really great record collection that basically went up to the year I was born: 1984.

Ezra Koenig

#27. Sometimes I surprise myself with how dissatisfied I am with seemingly satisfying experiences.

Ezra Koenig

#28. Playing 'Tetris' for 15 minutes is like meditation.

Ezra Koenig

#29. All I know for sure is that issues like race, like class, are always best approached with compassion and open-mindedness.

Ezra Koenig

#30. If you're lonely, bored, or unhappy, remember you are mad young. There is so much time to meet new people and go to new places.

Ezra Koenig

#31. Tom Cruise is one of the most successful actors of all time.

Ezra Koenig

#32. But you know what? When I die, everybody is invited to come take a selfie at my funeral. Except for my enemies. They're not invited to the funeral, period.

Ezra Koenig

#33. I do think sometimes there's danger in guest appearance mania. I've seen too many examples that sound cool on paper, like 'Oh, get that guy to sing the hook on that guy's song,' and then that's all it is. It's a cool idea that sounds good on paper.

Ezra Koenig

#34. I go to great pains to find the best yogurt and granola.

Ezra Koenig

#35. If kids and teenagers can get into a band, it's probably not because they think it's brainy.

Ezra Koenig

#36. Well, growing up in the '90s, my first true love was ska music.

Ezra Koenig

#37. Rapping and singing are not two polar opposites. There's so much middle ground. And I think there's a lot of people who find that middle ground.

Ezra Koenig

#38. Some people say video games rot your brain, but I think they work different muscles that maybe you don't normally use.

Ezra Koenig

#39. You can be 24 and continue to live like you're at college, or even continue to live like you're in high school. Or you can put on a shirt and tie and pretend to be an adult.

Ezra Koenig

#40. Making every record is a process full of tough times.

Ezra Koenig

#41. I'm down with Spotify. I don't know all the financial details but generally it's a great resource.

Ezra Koenig