--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten…" description: "\"Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to have someone like that: someone who you listen to and know that he believes what he says.\" — Mi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg" --- # Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to… ![“Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to have someone like that: someone who you listen to and know that he believes what he says.” quote by Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg) > “Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to have someone like that: someone who you listen to and know that he believes what he says.” [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A band needs a member who speaks sincerely, giving the group authenticity and direction. **In simple terms:** A band needs a genuine voice. Key Takeaway Value honest expression in teamwork. Themes authenticity leadership team dynamics Mood reflective inspired Type advice musical. When to use this quote - band formation - creative collaboration - public performance - songwriting sessions Key Concepts sincerity belief influence Questions to Reflect On - How does sincerity affect group cohesion? - When should authenticity be balanced with market demands? A Different Perspective Even honest voices can clash with commercial pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) [Band Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band-like/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Johnny rotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/johnny-rotten/) [Know Believes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-believes-513341/) [Like Listen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-listen-465431/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Neil young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neil-young/) [Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I'm one of the few people I know who believes in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-m-one-of-the-few-people-i-know-who-believes-in-god/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Don't GIVE UP. And know that there is always someone out there who believes in you and who loves you JUST THE WAY THAT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/don-t-give-up-and-know-that-there-is-always-someone-out-there-who/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [“You know, for someone who believes in me so much, you really have no faith in me at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-allison-moulton/you-know-for-someone-who-believes-in-me-so-much-you-really-have-no/) [Courtney Allison Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-allison-moulton/) > [Most people know who believes in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-hunt/most-people-know-who-believes-in-them/) [Johnny Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-hunt/) > [Nature has her proper interest; and he will know what it is, who believes and feels, that every Thing has a Life of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/nature-has-her-proper-interest-and-he-will-know-what-it-is-who/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [My mind has always kind of operated with this band like it's gonna be over tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/my-mind-has-always-kind-of-operated-with-this-band-like-it-s-gonna-be/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [No matter what Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious do, they can't be more disgusting than The Rolling Stones are in an orgy of biting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-jagger/no-matter-what-johnny-rotten-and-sid-vicious-do-they-can-t-be-more/) [Mick Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-jagger/) > [I'm not this cuddly, jumper-wearing, good-guy. I'm not David Cassidy. I'm more Johnny Rotten. I'm more Donny Tourette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-sayer/i-m-not-this-cuddly-jumper-wearing-good-guy-i-m-not-david-cassidy-i-m/) [Leo Sayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-sayer/) > [Me and Johnny Rotten have been talking about doing a movie of his book, No Irish, No Dogs, No Blacks. We have a script,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-spheeris/me-and-johnny-rotten-have-been-talking-about-doing-a-movie-of-his/) [Penelope Spheeris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-spheeris/) > [“In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain wrote, "It's better to burn out than to fade away." He was quoting a Neil Young song about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sheff/in-his-suicide-note-kurt-cobain-wrote-it-s-better-to-burn-out-than-to/) [David Sheff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sheff/) > [Johnny Rotten. He's a big fan of mine. I used to see him out in the audience in England and he'd stand up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/johnny-rotten-he-s-a-big-fan-of-mine-i-used-to-see-him-out-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I started out, everyone seemed to be adopting these names... Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious. I wasn't really Rotten or Vicious or Nasty, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-idol/when-i-started-out-everyone-seemed-to-be-adopting-these-names-johnny/) [Billy Idol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-idol/) > [I think maybe what happened was the convenience of technology overshadowed the experience of holding an album in your hands, and sitting on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-grohl/i-think-maybe-what-happened-was-the-convenience-of-technology/) [Dave Grohl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-grohl/) > [I had a positive remark from Johnny Rotten, would you believe? He said I was a fantastic singer. Not a lot of people know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakin-stevens/i-had-a-positive-remark-from-johnny-rotten-would-you-believe-he-said/) [Shakin' Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakin-stevens/) > [As I write, Johnny Rotten's first moments in "Anarchy in the U.K." - a rolling earthquake of a laugh, a buried shout, then hoary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greil-marcus/as-i-write-johnny-rotten-s-first-moments-in-anarchy-in-the-u-k-a/) [Greil Marcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greil-marcus/) ## More by Mike McCready > [Duff McKagen's been a dear friend of mind for a long time, and he's a Seattlelite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/duff-mckagen-s-been-a-dear-friend-of-mind-for-a-long-time-and-he-s-a/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [I am constantly amazed at their support over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/i-am-constantly-amazed-at-their-support-over-the-years/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [I should never, ever try and grow a mustache again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/i-should-never-ever-try-and-grow-a-mustache-again/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [Playing albums in sequence can be awesome, or it can be very limiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/playing-albums-in-sequence-can-be-awesome-or-it-can-be-very-limiting/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [Playing onstage, I'm always aware of where the bathrooms are. When Crohn's hits, I have to run, or it won't be pretty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/playing-onstage-i-m-always-aware-of-where-the-bathrooms-are-when/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [As a band, we just don't tolerate any kind of abuse or intolerance of any kind of LGBT people by any kind of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/as-a-band-we-just-don-t-tolerate-any-kind-of-abuse-or-intolerance-of/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [My mind has always kind of operated with this band like it's gonna be over tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/my-mind-has-always-kind-of-operated-with-this-band-like-it-s-gonna-be/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [I'm sober now and very happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/i-m-sober-now-and-very-happy/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [It was by design that we mostly used pictures that you could not necessarily see what was going on, and that didn't really focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/it-was-by-design-that-we-mostly-used-pictures-that-you-could-not/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [But KISS inspired me personally to pick up a guitar and go for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/but-kiss-inspired-me-personally-to-pick-up-a-guitar-and-go-for-it/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [We have a ridiculous amount of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/we-have-a-ridiculous-amount-of-material/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [We can go to Australia and play to 30-to-40,000. We can do that in certain places in the States, but not everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/we-can-go-to-australia-and-play-to-30-to-40-000-we-can-do-that-in/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [There are moments in South America, in Brazil, where you look out, and there are literally thirty, forty thousand people jumping up and down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/there-are-moments-in-south-america-in-brazil-where-you-look-out-and/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [When our band took off, we were all in this microcosm of a hurricane or whatever it was. It was a crazy, crazy dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/when-our-band-took-off-we-were-all-in-this-microcosm-of-a-hurricane/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [There's no time for regrets. You've just got to keep moving forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/there-s-no-time-for-regrets-you-ve-just-got-to-keep-moving-forward/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) [Explore all 123 Mike McCready quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) ## More Band quotes > [The reason I was drawn to the Band Perry was because they have a knack for doing rollicking country music that can sound a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/the-reason-i-was-drawn-to-the-band-perry-was-because-they-have-a/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [My Nirvana experience was much different than the other three guys. 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 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/band/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to have someone like that: someone who you listen to and know that he believes what he says.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mike McCready" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten-a-band-has-to-have-someone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Band" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten-a-band-has-to-have-someone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/mike-mccready-3746_band_whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten_883438.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny Rotten, a band has to have someone like that: someone who you listen to…” — Mike McCready", "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": "Mike McCready", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whether it's Neil Young or Johnny...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten-a-band-has-to-have-someone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/whether-it-s-neil-young-or-johnny-rotten-a-band-has-to-have-someone/#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 } } ] } ```