All the bad press I was getting puts you on a downer, so really, you come to a stage where you start hating yourself, in a way, because you're not in control.
One of the greatest things drama can do, at it's best, is to redefine the words we use every day such as love, home, family, loyalty and envy. Tragedy need not be a downer.
We're a very success-driven culture, which is such a downer at times. Even if you don't think that way, you're forced to think that way. Everyone is trying to subconsciously out-do everyone else.
It's risky to show poor Americans. People see it as a downer. But I really wanted to make a tightly wound piece of storytelling that also happened to explode the myth of American affluence.
People had an idea of what R&B artists or pop artists usually say, which was like, 'Talk about sex, talk about partying, and be positive; don't be too much of a downer.'
In 2004, I wrote 'What We've Lost,' a book about the Bush administration. It sold only reasonably well, in part, I think, because the book was a horrific downer, an unrelenting account of the administration's actions, bungles, deceptions, half-truths, untruths, and downright corruptions.
I'm learning to accept the lack of privacy as the real downer in my profession.
I'm not a flag waver for obesity. It's not healthy, and you have a crap life because there is such a downer on it.
Valentine's Day is definitely one of those days where it's either awesome or it's a downer.
Humor is important. Nothing against bands that are always a downer, but the reality is - it just becomes theater.
