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>> CELEBRITY MUSICIANS OPEN UP TO WEEKENDER CHATTING WITH THE (SUPER) STARS

May 24, 2007 12:35 am

You might already know what's in Weekender's Sounds section each Thursday--the live music, DJs and karaoke coming up at local bars and nightclubs; stories about musicians heading our way; concert and CD reviews; ticket information for the season's hottest shows; and more.

But did you know that a slew of celebrities have shared their secrets with us through the years? In honor of Weekender's 10th anniversary this past Tuesday, we dusted off some old issues and came up with a selection of superstars we've chatted up through the decade. Here is a sample of what they had to say:

FRANKIE AVALON April 26, 2007

"I just played a series of theaters last week, and I'd come back to the dressing room and say, 'God, my audience is getting younger, or I'm getting older.'"

SEAN LENNON Dec. 14, 2006 "I think if I sat in front of a piano and tried to write something as good as my dad, I probably wouldn't play one note. I think that would stop me."

JOAN JETT Oct. 12, 2006

"I never had any doubts about what I was doing or my right to do it or the fact that women should be able to play rock 'n' roll."

ALICE COOPER Aug. 18, 2005

"If you see an Alice Cooper show, you're going to go home covered in stage blood and confetti, and you're going to say it's the best party you've been to in years."

BRUCE HORNSBY June 16, 2005

"When people want to do an introduction of me, I say, 'Tell them I'm an eight-time Grammy loser.'"

"I grew up singing all different styles of music [so] to me it wasn't branching out. Now in my career, I can do a lot of fun things that you couldn't when you were out there just doing the commercial side of the business."

"When I put this show together, I wanted the music and the lyrics to stand out as much as possible. After doing this for 42 years, I realized people don't walk out humming the lights."

FERGIE (BLACK EYED PEAS) Aug. 14, 2003

"We're not talking about toting guns around and the ho's but I bought NWA when I was younger."

"My attitude about girls is kind of 'Whatever.' I'm not mad at them. It's just the way I feel at the time. I went through a lot of bull---- with women. If I'm p---ed off, if I get f---ed over, I'm gonna write some crazy s---."

"I'm 21 now. Still young. I gotta tour a fun record. If I want to retreat into myself and get all melancholy" that can come later.

"You never hear me sing anything too vulgar or obnoxious. I want to make music that appeals to everyone, like Michael Jackson did."

"I've done a lot of living since I moved to Nashville, and I have a lot of things to sing about and a lot of emotions to draw on."

"To see a 16-year-old out in the audience with a guy who's yelling at her and pulling at her arm, that breaks my heart, because at that age, you don't necessarily know there's anything else. I've been there. I've dated the jerk and had my heart broken.

"I don't do all that cliched, rock 'n' roll folderol--put your hands over your heads and clap. No smacking hands with people in the crowd. I deal with the song and the characters in the song."

"I think when poverty bites you at a young age, you either become more bitter or more compassionate. I've tried to become more compassionate every day. I've lived a lot of my life on the generosity of others."

"Why don't we learn from the past? Some people are less bright than others. Some people don't learn the lessons of the past."

"There are always moments in the process--always at least one moment--that I think it's all terrible and I don't have any good songs at all."