"You can tell the difference between songs that were created in a garage and songs that were created in the studio"
About this Quote
There is a kind of grit you can’t autotune into existence, and Cherone is betting you can hear it. The “garage” here isn’t just a place; it’s a whole ethic. It’s cheap amps, bad insulation, neighbors complaining, and a band learning each other’s timing the hard way. When he contrasts that with “the studio,” he’s not demonizing professionalism so much as calling out a particular polish: the layered perfection that can sand off the small accidents where personality lives.
The intent is partly diagnostic and partly a flex of values. Cherone came up in an era when rock credibility was tied to sweat equity and a sense of risk. A garage song implies urgency: you write it because you have to, you record it because you can, and you live with the imperfections because they’re evidence of the moment. A studio song implies options. Options are great, until they turn into endless takes, quantized drums, and a performance optimized for playback rather than for impact.
The subtext is a cultural argument about authenticity that’s been running since punk, got re-litigated during grunge, and now sits awkwardly in a streaming world where “bedroom pop” can be both intimate and meticulously edited. Cherone’s line works because it’s tactile; it makes production an emotional category. He’s saying you can hear the room, the constraints, the hunger. And he’s warning that when constraints disappear, so can the stakes.
The intent is partly diagnostic and partly a flex of values. Cherone came up in an era when rock credibility was tied to sweat equity and a sense of risk. A garage song implies urgency: you write it because you have to, you record it because you can, and you live with the imperfections because they’re evidence of the moment. A studio song implies options. Options are great, until they turn into endless takes, quantized drums, and a performance optimized for playback rather than for impact.
The subtext is a cultural argument about authenticity that’s been running since punk, got re-litigated during grunge, and now sits awkwardly in a streaming world where “bedroom pop” can be both intimate and meticulously edited. Cherone’s line works because it’s tactile; it makes production an emotional category. He’s saying you can hear the room, the constraints, the hunger. And he’s warning that when constraints disappear, so can the stakes.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|
More Quotes by Gary
Add to List
