Art Alexakis
Art Alexakis
Arthur Paul "Art" Alexakisis an American musician best known as the singer, composer, and guitarist of the rock band Everclear. He has been a member of several notable bands, in addition to his own work as a songwriter for other artists. Alexakis founded several record labels throughout his career, and worked as an A&R representative for major record labels, between and during his own musical projects. Later he became a political activist, and lobbied for special concerns which included drug...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth12 April 1962
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
Being a musician, especially at the major label where you work for so long, it becomes a cycle. Write a record, make a record, tour. It's just this cycle, and I don't think there's any life built into it with time to assimilate what's going on in front of you and what's going on in your head.
I've always loved aggressive, hard, noisy, yet melodic bands, and at the same time I've always loved 'Blue' by Joni Mitchell.
Being a child that grew up with a single mom back in the '70s, Father's Day to me was always a very uncomfortable time. At school, we would make Father's Day cards for our dads, and I usually mailed one to my dad, and he hardly ever responded.
People have had the idea to do a '90s alternative tour for a long time. I didn't come up with that; I was the first guy to basically say it was time.
I'm not a politician. I'm not running for office. I can say what I think.
I like people who tell stories. I like storytellers. A lot of my songs are misconceived as being auto-biographical when they're not because I write in the first person.
I like acting when I can pick my own roles, and I do. It's fun. I like being creative, and it's a creative process.
I lived in Portland for almost 20 years, and that's where my eldest daughter went to college. I missed the sunshine. I grew up in L.A.
I try to talk about things I know about. But my characters are more of a combination of people or how I imagine people would feel.
I still fall back a lot on my Les Paul, and there is just no getting away from a Les Paul and a hot pickup.
As a songwriter, I do kind of look at 'Santa Monica' as a thing outside of itself, because it isn't just my song. This is a song a lot of people tell me is a part of their high school or college years. That means a lot to me.
I've always kind of been a little skeptical about bands that won't play their hits. That's really arrogant to me as a music fan. I do want to hear obscure songs, but like most people, I want to hear the hits, so we always play them.
One of the things about being a boy, especially growing up without a father, is you really don't have that role model to teach you how to do things.
I'd actually like to make a country album one day. One of my idols is Neil Young, because he's kept himself from being bored.