--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We didn't set out to be cool. We set out…" description: "\"We didn't set out to be cool. We set out to be an extremely tight band. We wanted to defy expectations. The more negative your mindset on coming to one..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/james-murphy-4684_band_we-didn-t-set-out-to-be-cool-we-set-out_3113422.jpg" --- # We didn't set out to be cool. We set out to be an… ![“We didn't set out to be cool. We set out to be an extremely tight band. We wanted to defy expectations. The more negative your mindset on coming to one of our gigs, the better for us, frankly.” quote by James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/james-murphy-4684_band_we-didn-t-set-out-to-be-cool-we-set-out_3113422.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/james-murphy-4684_band_we-didn-t-set-out-to-be-cool-we-set-out_3113422.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/james-murphy-4684_band_we-didn-t-set-out-to-be-cool-we-set-out_3113422.jpg) > “We didn't set out to be cool. We set out to be an extremely tight band. We wanted to defy expectations. The more negative your mindset on coming to one of our gigs, the better for us, frankly.” [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The band prioritized tight musicianship and defying expectations over appearing cool; negative audience attitudes fueled their performance. **In simple terms:** Band focused on skill, not image. Key Takeaway Focus on craft, ignore external judgments. Themes music performance mindset Mood determined defiant Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - live shows - band dynamics - creative confidence Key Concepts tightness defying expectations audience perception Questions to Reflect On - How can negative expectations be turned into motivation? - What does “tight” mean for your group? A Different Perspective Negativity can harm morale if internalized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [Whether we are consumed with positive expectations or negative projections, we are not living in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/whether-we-are-consumed-with-positive-expectations-or-negative/) Senoraroy > [The more you write tunes, the better they will become. The more you do gigs, the better you will become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/the-more-you-write-tunes-the-better-they-will-become-the-more-you-do-2/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [The more you write tunes, the better they will become. The more you do gigs, the better you will become. It’s just kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/the-more-you-write-tunes-the-better-they-will-become-the-more-you-do/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [What's really important is that all we ever were was a band. And all we ever wanted to be was a band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-hanson/what-s-really-important-is-that-all-we-ever-were-was-a-band-and-all/) [Isaac Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-hanson/) > [I decided at 10 I wanted to be in a band; everyone else wanted to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-mangum/i-decided-at-10-i-wanted-to-be-in-a-band-everyone-else-wanted-to-play/) [Jeff Mangum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-mangum/) > [My older brother was the guitar player in the neighborhood band. My parents were the cool ones that had the basement for rehearsal. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/well-before-i-was-in-a-band-i-wanted-to-be-everything-from-a-vet-an/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [You are always kind of suspicious that there's a better life out there for you no matter what it is - and obviously being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-jarman/you-are-always-kind-of-suspicious-that-there-s-a-better-life-out/) [Ryan Jarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-jarman/) > [I wanted to be in a rock band. 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When I found myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/initially-i-didn-t-start-out-to-be-a-member-of-a-band-i-wanted-to/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [We formed the band because we wanted to tour. That was our common interest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-marshall/we-formed-the-band-because-we-wanted-to-tour-that-was-our-common/) [Winston Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-marshall/) > [Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and I wanted to be a hard rock band - we wanted to play rock and roll only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-blackmore/ian-gillan-roger-glover-and-i-wanted-to-be-a-hard-rock-band-we-wanted/) [Ritchie Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-blackmore/) ## More by James Murphy > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [Making people dance has another function that has nothing to do with art, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/making-people-dance-has-another-function-that-has-nothing-to-do-with/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [I know it seems like LCD Soundsystem sold millions and millions of records, but we didn't. I'm not a wealthy person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-know-it-seems-like-lcd-soundsystem-sold-millions-and-millions-of/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [I was a singing guitar player as a kid, and I found it really embarrassing, so I stopped singing and became a drummer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-was-a-singing-guitar-player-as-a-kid-and-i-found-it-really/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [For most of my life, making music has cost me money. 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For me, it was really new and exciting. I was just a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-smear/my-nirvana-experience-was-much-different-than-the-other-three-guys/) [Pat Smear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-smear/) > [I think my music has always been a mixture, depending on whom I'm working with - what band, what musicians, what producer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/i-think-my-music-has-always-been-a-mixture-depending-on-whom-i-m/) [Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/) > [As you'll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/as-you-ll-never-hear-the-thing-again-my-boy-why-not-throw-in-a-couple/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [There is more to me than just having been in the Runaways. And even though I'm really, really proud of what the band accomplished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-fuchs/there-is-more-to-me-than-just-having-been-in-the-runaways-and-even/) [Jackie Fuchs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-fuchs/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [Bass guitar is the engine of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/bass-guitar-is-the-engine-of-the-band/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I just became accustomed to being all the members of the band. That was something that was really exciting to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-collier/i-just-became-accustomed-to-being-all-the-members-of-the-band-that/) [Jacob Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-collier/) > [I guess because we're essentially a two-man band, we're attracting Wham's crowd. But Wham! are more of a businessman's band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-smith/i-guess-because-we-re-essentially-a-two-man-band-we-re-attracting/) [Curt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-smith/) > [I'm about as privileged as you can get. I'm a white, male, heterosexual front man of a rock band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-reynolds/i-m-about-as-privileged-as-you-can-get-i-m-a-white-male-heterosexual/) [Dan Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-reynolds/) > [I'd been playing in bands for something like seven years at this point. And we were always trying to get ahead, trying to rehearse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aerosmith/i-d-been-playing-in-bands-for-something-like-seven-years-at-this/) [Aerosmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aerosmith/) > [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) Browse all 6,497 Band quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We didn't set out to be cool. We set out to be an extremely tight band. We wanted to defy expectations. 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