Mike Gordon Quotes & Sayings

I'm not really satisfied with anything I have written to date. — Mike Gordon

As long as we keep learning new music and getting better musically, there's a good chance that the record deal won't change anything. — Mike Gordon

Surrender to the flow. — Mike Gordon

This is my second bass that Paul built me. There were some changes that were made. Sometimes I think of changes that could be made having to do with both the sound and the feel. It's definitely a beautiful instrument. — Mike Gordon

We have been trying to play a lot of different kinds of music, and probably the next album will go back more towards the direction where you couldn't classify each song as a certain kind of music. This album you can. — Mike Gordon

I want to get an handful of spare basses to use first of all if mine breaks, and second, to learn some things about aspects of basses that I like, so Paul can build those aspects into it. — Mike Gordon

I haven't written enough songs to be able to say that I have a system. I've only written a handful. — Mike Gordon

I built all the speaker cabinets myself. — Mike Gordon

I like to be sort of grounded with Fish. But, at the same time, I think probably what's unique about us is the way other dynamics happen, where I'll play off Trey for awhile. When we start playing a jam, I don't usually know what's going to happen, I don't have a plan. — Mike Gordon

It does make sense to put on some songs that are relatively short, because radio usually only plays songs that are less than 4 or 5 minutes. — Mike Gordon

I feel like I want to write some songs and I don't know how to go about doing it. Usually it's the lyrics that are a problem, and I think I am not really cut out to be a lyricist. — Mike Gordon

I like referring to the saxophone and having a guitar lick instead. Same with the cymbals; having the cymbals and not playing cymbals. — Mike Gordon

If part of the purpose of making an album is to get some radio play, then you might as well think about that. But that's not really how we picked the songs. — Mike Gordon

Lately Fish and I have been hooking up more, which is a good thing because it's just been a struggle for me as a bass player to play with someone who's so creative on the drums, and lately it's been really good, especially during sound checks. — Mike Gordon

In order to have that incredible groove that makes you dream you have to think not of the groove, but of the dream. — Mike Gordon

The guy we want to get is the guy who did the Aerosmith album which is coming out in two days, and a Chili Peppers album, and a couple of Pearl Jam albums. We want to get someone that will sort of bring out the high energy aspect more than the dreaminess that was on the last album. — Mike Gordon

It's really important for the bass and the drums to somehow blend. — Mike Gordon

There's no way we could play a country song as well as a country band or a Latin song as well as a Latin band. We could never expect to do that. We just keep doing what we do, what we know how to do. We sound like ourselves. — Mike Gordon

I'm always interested in mixing technology and music. You know, maybe I'll have a MIDI bass pickup at some point, I don't really think that's the direction I would want to go. — Mike Gordon

Actually, it's great to play with someone who tries to come up with interesting drum beats because it pushes the music in different directions. — Mike Gordon

We have access to more resources in general, and they are not going to force a situation on us, whether its the producer, or the cover, or what songs we have to play. And it's a small enough company that it seems like the people there care about music and not just about business. — Mike Gordon

Right after I graduated, my girlfriend, who I had been going out with for five years, dumped me, and my grandmother died. — Mike Gordon

I've written some poetry, but ... songs have to be more poetic, and I've really gotten to this non-poetic sort of writing. — Mike Gordon

I'm not really allowed to talk about the Dead though. I think when we are at our best, we definitely do things that the Dead or no other band could do. We explore things and take things to the extreme. — Mike Gordon

Travelling to different countries is a goal. I wouldn't mind playing huge places if we got an opportunity to, but it's nice to play small places too. Fish was saying yesterday that he doesn't ever want to play stadiums, or maybe he would once, he said. — Mike Gordon

The worst thing I could be thinking is how could I be a cool bass player. — Mike Gordon

I agree with the rest of the band, that a truly synthesized sound isn't really what I would want to go for. — Mike Gordon

The way that we imitate each others' riffs is something that other bands don't do as much. If we're jamming with a jazz band, or I am jamming with a jazz band, I have to catch myself, the tendency is always to do that. — Mike Gordon

Last tour my bass rig was breaking down every other night. That was a pain. We would get on stage and Trey would count off the song, and I'd play the first note and nothing would be there. Those guys would just roll their eyes. — Mike Gordon

A lot of the great songwriters in history have been collaborators, with a separate lyricist. — Mike Gordon

Elektra has no control over the live show, at least. — Mike Gordon

I want to take some jams and really concentrate on hooking up with Page because, since he's the only one not next to me, and his sound is mainly coming from my monitor rather than through the air, it's a little harder for me to hook up with him. — Mike Gordon

I think one thing that helped the sound change, it's a real subtle thing; it's just one switch on my bass, it has three positions, and I usually boost the mid-range frequency, I lowered the frequency that I boost, and that goes out to the sound system, too. — Mike Gordon

I don't really have a favorite bass player. I listen to a lot of bluegrass. But then again, I'm not a typical bluegrass bass player. I was really into the Grateful Dead, and I still am - I don't listen to them too much, but for me they are a big influence. — Mike Gordon

Usually I don't think much in terms of interesting sounds. Although I think I want to get one of those whammy pedals, I forget what it's called and who makes it. It's got a whole bunch of different settings. You can play a note and it will raise the pitch when you push the pedal. — Mike Gordon

I guess there are two things that make me like songs generally, of ours, and that is if they groove well, or if they have a jam that can go somewhere. — Mike Gordon