---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was in San Diego and I was onstage and…"
description: "\"It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't remember how to play the guitar properly. I was in terrible pain and my nervous system was just goin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg"
---

#  It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't…

![“It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't remember how to play the guitar properly. I was in terrible pain and my nervous system was just going wild, like somebody had just run a car over me.” quote by Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg)

> “It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't remember how to play the guitar properly. I was in terrible pain and my nervous system was just going wild, like somebody had just run a car over me.”

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker describes a performance mishap caused by physical pain and nervous overload, highlighting vulnerability on stage.

**In simple terms:** Stage anxiety and pain disrupted performance.

Key Takeaway

Manage health and nerves before performing.

Themes

performance anxiety health vulnerability

Mood

stress determination

Type

personal reflective

When to use this quote

- concerts
- live rehearsals
- touring
- recording sessions

Key Concepts

physiology stagecraft mental focus

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you prepare physically and mentally for live shows?
- What strategies help recover from sudden pain on stage?

A Different Perspective

Physical discomfort can impair skill regardless of preparation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Couldn Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-remember/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Nervous system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-system/) [Onstage Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/onstage-couldn-4227929/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-nervous-5538920/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [San diego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-diego/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Terrible Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-pain-2510740/)

## Related quotes

> [The only reason we wore sunglasses onstage was because we couldn't stand the sight of the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cale/the-only-reason-we-wore-sunglasses-onstage-was-because-we-couldn-t/)

[John Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cale/)

> [I thought it sounded just like the sort of drug a man would invent. Here was a woman in terrible pain, obviously feeling every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-thought-it-sounded-just-like-the-sort-of-drug-a-man-would-invent/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [“... how terrible is the pain of the mind and heart when the freedom of mankind is suppressed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-terrible-is-the-pain-of-the-mind-and-heart-when-the-freedom-of/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [After I got over the terrible pain of having something of mine taken from me, I began to think how bad everybody else must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/after-i-got-over-the-terrible-pain-of-having-something-of-mine-taken/)

[Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/)

> [“Jonas felt a ripping sensation inside himself, the feeling of terrible pain clawing its way forward to emerge in a cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/jonas-felt-a-ripping-sensation-inside-himself-the-feeling-of-terrible/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [“Oh God, now she couldn’t remember why she’d ever left him. She needed him. More than air or sunlight and beaches, definitely more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-jean-pamfiloff/oh-god-now-she-couldn-t-remember-why-she-d-ever-left-him-she-needed/)

[Mimi Jean Pamfiloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-jean-pamfiloff/)

> [As I rolled over, stretching out, my only thought was to go back to the dream I'd been having, which I couldn't remember, other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/as-i-rolled-over-stretching-out-my-only-thought-was-to-go-back-to-the/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“I'm here!" I said..."I'm read to go home!" As if they couldn't see me. As if I couldn't remember what it had been like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-turgeon/i-m-here-i-said-i-m-read-to-go-home-as-if-they-couldn-t-see-me-as-if/)

[Carolyn Turgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-turgeon/)

> [“Then this is how you do it,’ and kissed her slowly, letting time fade away. And he couldn’t remember any other kiss that felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-this-is-how-you-do-it-and-kissed-her-slowly-letting-time-fade/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“I couldn't remember whether I had examined Andres Garcia's rectum. I agonized about it all evening at home, thoroughly ruining my husband's dinner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-melinek/i-couldn-t-remember-whether-i-had-examined-andres-garcia-s-rectum-i/)

[Judy Melinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-melinek/)

> [“The woman had a body wet dreams were made of, and he couldn't remember being this goddamn hard in his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eden-ashe/the-woman-had-a-body-wet-dreams-were-made-of-and-he-couldn-t-remember/)

[Eden Ashe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eden-ashe/)

> [“For as long as I could remember, I had been transparent to myself, unselfconscious, learning, doing, most of every day. Now I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-had-been-transparent-to-myself/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [“I shook my head. I couldn't remember the time before, or the way it used to be. There were things we used to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/i-shook-my-head-i-couldn-t-remember-the-time-before-or-the-way-it/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had anything to eat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/in-fact-he-couldn-t-remember-the-last-time-he-d-had-anything-to-eat/)

[Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/)

> [“I couldn't remember if I thanked you for what you did," I tell her. "And I can't get you out of my head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-cole/i-couldn-t-remember-if-i-thanked-you-for-what-you-did-i-tell-her-and/)

[Courtney Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-cole/)

## More by Andy Partridge

> [Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton, Of all the nobel prizes that I've never won, And I may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/well-i-don-t-know-how-many-pounds-make-up-a-ton-of-all-the-nobel/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [Now that I'm out and I'm shouting in doorways Freed from a love more like murder I should be singing but in liberation Feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/now-that-i-m-out-and-i-m-shouting-in-doorways-freed-from-a-love-more/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [Where I've arrived now is the product of mixing the very straight with the very exploratory; there's a fine line between the two, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/where-i-ve-arrived-now-is-the-product-of-mixing-the-very-straight/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [We're horribly mundane, aggressively mundane individuals. We're the ninjas of the mundane, you might say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/we-re-horribly-mundane-aggressively-mundane-individuals-we-re-the/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [My parents, especially my mother, were no influence on me whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/my-parents-especially-my-mother-were-no-influence-on-me-whatsoever/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I actually got really petrified by the thought of people seeing me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/i-actually-got-really-petrified-by-the-thought-of-people-seeing-me/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I believe the printed word is more than sacred Beyond the gauge of good or bad The human right to let your soul fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/i-believe-the-printed-word-is-more-than-sacred-beyond-the-gauge-of/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I was getting Monkees Monthly and there was a competition to draw a Monkee. I did a caricature of Micky Dolenz and won 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/i-was-getting-monkees-monthly-and-there-was-a-competition-to-draw-a/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [Success is being nothing but a quote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/success-is-being-nothing-but-a-quote/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I'm really interested in bands that sound nothing like anything I do or can do. That's what interests me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/i-m-really-interested-in-bands-that-sound-nothing-like-anything-i-do/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [People will always be tempted to wipe their feet on anything with 'welcome' written on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/people-will-always-be-tempted-to-wipe-their-feet-on-anything-with/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [If it's a good LP, you'll get that tingle that makes you put it on again no matter what your initial reaction was. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/if-it-s-a-good-lp-you-ll-get-that-tingle-that-makes-you-put-it-on/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [Now I lay me down to sleep Knowing that your lenses peep Now I eat my daily bread And into the tape spool I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/now-i-lay-me-down-to-sleep-knowing-that-your-lenses-peep-now-i-eat-my/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [The man who sailed around his soul From East to West, from pole to pole With ego as his drunken captain Greed, the mutineer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/the-man-who-sailed-around-his-soul-from-east-to-west-from-pole-to/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

> [I leaned right over to kiss your stoney book A little jealous of the ships with whom you flirt A billion lovers with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/i-leaned-right-over-to-kiss-your-stoney-book-a-little-jealous-of-the/)

[Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

[Explore all 44 Andy Partridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/)

## More Car quotes

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

> [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/)

[Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/)

> [I don't own a yacht or a flashy car. I've always had safe cars because I do so much driving. I don't think I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rippon/i-don-t-own-a-yacht-or-a-flashy-car-i-ve-always-had-safe-cars-because/)

[Angela Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rippon/)

> [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/)

[Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/)

> [I mean, you've kind of got the track down, especially with ovals. The only thing that improves is that when race conditions come, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danica-patrick/i-mean-you-ve-kind-of-got-the-track-down-especially-with-ovals-the/)

[Danica Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danica-patrick/)

> [I was with Dre when he was just selling tapes. He didn't have a car, a license or a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-le/i-was-with-dre-when-he-was-just-selling-tapes-he-didn-t-have-a-car-a/)

[Michel'le](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-le/)

> ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/)

[Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/)

> [The things that don't happen to us that we'll never know didn't happen to us. The nonstories. The extra minute to find the briefcase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-shreve/the-things-that-don-t-happen-to-us-that-we-ll-never-know-didn-t/)

[Anita Shreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-shreve/)

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [It is amazing how may drivers, even at the Formula One Level, think that the brakes are for slowing the car down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/it-is-amazing-how-may-drivers-even-at-the-formula-one-level-think/)

[Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/)

> [Whether you are buying a car or casting a ballot, choosing a job or planning a family, follow your moral compass. Don't let others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-hayes/whether-you-are-buying-a-car-or-casting-a-ballot-choosing-a-job-or/)

[Denis Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-hayes/)

> [I don't have to have the biggest house or the biggest car or the longest mink, but quality of life is really glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eartha-kitt/i-don-t-have-to-have-the-biggest-house-or-the-biggest-car-or-the/)

[Eartha Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eartha-kitt/)

[Browse all 6,849 Car quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't remember how to play the guitar properly. I was in terrible pain and my nervous system was just going wild, like somebody had just run a car over me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andy Partridge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-and-couldn-t-remember-how-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Car"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-and-couldn-t-remember-how-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/144/andy-partridge-15091_car_it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-an_2319470.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was in San Diego and I was onstage and couldn't remember how to play the guitar properly. I was in…” — Andy Partridge",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andy Partridge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was in San Diego and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-and-couldn-t-remember-how-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/it-was-in-san-diego-and-i-was-onstage-and-couldn-t-remember-how-to/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
