Creativity Quote by Jerry Only

There’s a punk-rock stoicism baked into “The main thing is that this band keeps going.” Jerry Only isn’t selling mythology or promising reinvention; he’s lowering the bar to the only standard that matters in a genre built on volatility: survival. Coming from a musician best known for anchoring a band whose brand is as much iconography as sound, the line reads like a quiet refusal to let the spectacle swallow the work. The “main thing” isn’t the perfect record, the definitive lineup, the clean narrative arc. It’s continuity - the unglamorous labor of rehearsal rooms, touring cycles, and keeping the lights on when the cultural spotlight has moved elsewhere.

The subtext is managerial and emotional at once. Bands don’t “keep going” by accident; they’re held together by someone making calls, taking criticism, absorbing legal and interpersonal stress, and still walking onstage. In punk and metal, where authenticity is policed and aging is treated like betrayal, persistence becomes its own kind of credibility. The phrase also sidesteps the usual rock-star ego. No “I,” no grand claims, just the institution of “this band,” like a ship that needs maintenance more than poetry.

Contextually, it lands as a response to the realities of legacy acts: lineup churn, fan expectations, and the temptation to calcify into a tribute to your younger self. Only frames endurance as the victory condition. Not heroic, not tragic - just stubborn, practical commitment, the most punk form of responsibility.