Mike McCready
I try to dig deep into my soul to figure out something positive in the pain. I think I go to certain places when I play to heal.Collection: Positive
Crohn's patients differentiate their diet. You know, what I can handle and tolerate, another person couldn't, and what they can, I can't.Collection: Diet
To be able to make a living doing what I love is truly a gift, and I'm thankful for that every day.Collection: Thankful
There are some people who have stayed with us our whole career, which is pretty cool too.Collection: Cool
Tom Petty sent me this amazing 12-string Rickenbacker, and 'Not for You' was the first time I used it. It was like a Christmas present. One day, it just showed up at my door. I called him up and thanked him.Collection: Christmas
We're always working on our communication, which is something that's important. Instead of going through managers to discuss things, we will sit down and have meetings about things. That's a process. And you have to be able to be honest with each other as much as you can.Collection: Communication
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 in on the band, but instead focused in on a theme.Collection: Design
When you're really young, dating girls, and trying to explain Kiss, they just look at you like you're kind of crazy. I think they got so big in the Seventies and were such a phenomenon - they did the 'Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park' movie, the solo records - some people only know the merchandising stuff.Collection: Dating
There's no time for regrets. You've just got to keep moving forward.Collection: Time
I should never, ever try and grow a mustache again.
Every Crohn's and colitis patient is different, and they all respond to different things. That's the craziest thing about it.
Soundgarden are kind of the masters of writing songs that aren't pop cliches.
I'm sober now and very happy.
At some shows, the set list gets changed while we are on stage. I know Ed thinks about the set very hard throughout the day in order to make the best show possible for the fans and for us.
We try to keep everything as in-house and small and as punk rock and do-it-yourself as we can. That's part of our way of doing business.
And watching Ed, he's really coming into his own doing some new things onstage I've never seen him do. He's really getting into it, putting 120 percent into the show. We feel comfortable and excited.
At this point, because we have stayed the same course for so many years, I feel like we are freer to make choices that are motivated by what feels right creatively at a given point in time.
But KISS inspired me personally to pick up a guitar and go for it.
I am constantly amazed at their support over the years.
I feel very blessed we can still have a career making music.
I have had Crohn's for about 19 years. It is a debilitating disease that affects my colon.
I have lived most my life with chronic inflammation and constant pain with immediate diarrhea.
I have to eat in a way that's good for me.
I love playing with Jeff. That's something I never really say in the press, but he's my favorite bass player. I've played right next to him for 10 years.
I think our relationship with Epic had run its natural course, and it happened to coincide with the fulfillment of our contract. We decided not to resign with them.
It's always push and pull with a record company.
It's extremely important to have a loyal fan base and be receptive to them.
My favorite rocker is Go because it is heavy and chaotic.
My life would have been different without Paul Stanley or Ace Frehley. They would have to be the greatest on my list as an influence to my life at 11 years old.
Other bands gave us lip service, but when it came down to it they kind of backed off. That was a little disheartening. But I respect them. That's their business.
Some people are still not into us. That makes sense. We haven't really done a lot of press. We haven't put ourselves out there in ways that a lot of people would know we are still around. Unless you tour or record, they don't know you are around.
That's what music has always been to me: a feel. I've listened to the Stones many times and it still makes me have that feeling of joy every time. They are still around and put on a really exciting show. We also give it 120 percent.
The average life spans of many bands are not that long, up to five years if they are lucky.
There's Eddie's conviction and his lyrics and his ideals, and he can just rock straight out. His vocals are incredible. And we all are really competent musicians.
Sometimes with Polaroids, the shot you want to get in your head doesn't happen. What it makes me do is be patient, I guess, or let go of that presumption of what the shot's going to be.
There was no support system in Seattle for musicians.
Polaroids were the instant thing to get a photo back when I started it. You had to wait two days to get your film back if you had a real camera, and I was more of an instant-gratification guy.
To just meet people that have Crohn's or colitis and to hear their stories gives me a lot of hope and a lot of courage.
Throughout my life of having Crohn's, I've been on and off prednisone when other stuff was not working.
When our band took off, we were all in this microcosm of a hurricane or whatever it was. It was a crazy, crazy dream come true with nightmares floating around it, and all sorts of stuff was happening, and my Crohn's was happening.
The older I get, the more I surf and do more stretches to get ready for the rock show.
I was reading an article with Stevie Ray Vaughan a long time ago, and the number '1959' stuck out to me for some reason. So I started searching those out as the band got more popular and I could actually afford one. And I found this one in Los Angeles. That's what introduced me to the whole world of 1959s.
I'm surprised that we're around still. A lot of the bands that we came out with are not around.
Life is a pre-existing condition.
I honestly grew up listening to the Stones more. But that doesn't mean I don't love the Beatles.
I play 'Rock Band' with my friends' kids, and they completely beat me senseless with it. I feel like I'm holding them back. I try to play the drums, and I just can't play the drums. I think I need to work on my skills.
I've met a ton of new people who have colitis or Crohn's. Talking to them has been probably the most healing thing: to hear other people's attitudes on how they deal with their disease and how they stay positive.
I'm born, and I die, but in between that, I can do whatever I want or have a strong opinion about something.
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.
Crohn's doesn't define who you are. You are a human being; you are special and a great addition to society. Crohn's is just a part of your life. Try to be positive and proactive - therein lies the solution.