Ryan Ross: Biography
George Ryan Ross III, guitarist and lyricist for the hit band Panic At The Disco, was born August 30, 1986 in Las Vegas Nevada. Ryan knew fellow Panic drummer Spencer Smith since he was five, and at the age of twelve, the two covered blink-182 songs at first in a band called Pet Salamander. Later, he was in The Summer League with Smith and ex-Panic! bassist Brent Smith before joining Panic At The Disco. After high school, Ryan attended one semester at the University of Las Vegas, but dropped out to pursue the band. During the times, his parents were having trouble and unhappy, and his father was struggling with alcoholism. While observing this, Ryan wrote two songs on the album about his experiences with his father, who sadly passed away in July 2006. Ryan had to deal with the death of his father while in the middle of Panic's summer tour, but he was able to work through it. Ryan continues to focus on being the band's lyricist, building a strong and supportive fan following.
- According to Ryan, he is a night owl.(edit)
- Ryan's 21st birthday took place at Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy's New York bar, Angels and Kings. His girlfriend Keltie Colleen hung high school photos of Ryan all over the bar and asked the guests to wear t-shirts with Ryan as a 12 year old holding a fish. At midnight one of Keltie's friends wheeled her out in a wrapped box which she jumped out of wearing next to nothing. After getting over the embarrassment Ryan told friends what an awesome girlfriend he had.(edit)
- Ryan was the one who first heard fellow DecayDance band The Hush Sound and told Pete Wentz about them.(edit)
- Ryan has a pet dog named Hobo, which he got in 2007.(edit)
- Ryan has 2 tattoos, one on each wrist that say "Mad as a Hatter" and "Thin as a Dime." (edit)
- Ryan does his own creatively designed makeup before concerts.(edit)
- Ryan's favorite cookies are oatmeal raisin and snickerdoodles.(edit)
- Ryan didn't get his Wisdom teeth until he was 20 years old.(edit)
- With the money he made from the success of Panic!’s debut album, Ryan bought a C55 Mercedes, but wasn’t too sure how to use it even three months after he bought it.(edit)
- Ryan ordered books through his school book clubs, and ever since, he has been a devoted reader.(edit)
- Ryan had been offered a modeling contract, but turned it down.(edit)
- Ryan is usually the one to speak in the interviews for the band.(edit)
- Ryan says that he is kind of scared that people can find out information about him from the Internet.(edit)
- Ryan plays keyboard, piano, guitar, accordion, and organ.(edit)
- Ryan’s first concert was The Backstreet Boys when he was nine. He went with Panic! drummer Spencer Smith, and they admit to learning all of BSB's dance moves in the Backstreet's Back video.(edit)
- Ryan has a guest guitar solo on Fall Out Boy's album Infinity On High in the song "The Take Over, The Breaks Over".(edit)
- Ryan says that he is a shy person.(edit)
- Ryan was about 14 when he wrote his first song.(edit)
- Ryan’s favorite vocalist of all time is Freddie Mercury.(edit)
- Ryan attended Christian and Catholic private schools growing up.(edit)
- The first album Ryan bought was the first Third Eye Blind’s album, self-titled, when he was 12.(edit)
- Ross hates when Panic! is sometimes described as a “hot boy band” because it takes the attention away from their music.(edit)
- Ryan admits to owning twenty-five ties, some of which he hasn't even worn yet.(edit)
- Ryan says that he is addicted to his Sidekick and checks it like every five minutes.(edit)
- Ryan focuses on being the main one who writes the lyrics for the band.(edit)
- When asked what cartoon character he'd be, Ryan said that he'd be Spiderman.(edit)
- Ryan's first band was called Pet Salamander, which was him and Spencer Smith covering blink-182 songs.(edit)
- Ryan provides the back vocals when the band performs live.(edit)
- Ryan completed his first semester of college, and if it weren't for the band, he says that he'd be in college at the moment.(edit)
- Ryans says that he is into the whole Moulin Rouge! look.(edit)
- Ryan's favorite song on the band's debut album is Build God, Then We'll Talk.(edit)
- Ryan's nicknames are Ry-Ry and Ry-Ro.(edit)
- Ryan was orginally the lead vocals for Panic! At The Disco.(edit)
- Ryan and P!ATD drummer Spencer Smith have been friends since they were 5.(edit)
- Ryan is the oldest member of the original line-up of Panic! At The Disco. He is now the second oldest member of the band.(edit)
- Ryan first asked for a guitar when he was 12 for the Christmas of 1998.(edit)
- Two of the songs on P!ATD's debut album, Camisado and Nails For Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks, were written about Ryan's personal experience with his alcoholic father.(edit)
- Ryan attended Bishop Gorman High School.(edit)
- Ryan wrote the lyrics for the album A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. Some of the song lyrics were influenced by an ex-girlfriend that cheated on him.(edit)
- Ryan: There’s plenty of stuff we do in the show to get a reaction. Like, fans are always saying that me and Brendon are dating. It’s funny to me how people freak out about stuff like that.(edit)
- Ryan: (On him and friend Spencer Smith during their childhood) We went through pretty much every phase that young boys can go through. Remote control cars, riding bikes, sports, a lot of video games. For about a year, we really wanted to skateboard, but we were both terrible at it. We got our instruments, the same Christmas (when we were thirteen), and I think after we gave up skateboarding, we started playing music because we couldn’t hurt ourselves doing it. We started recording our own songs when we were fourteen, at Spencer’s house. They were the worst songs you’ve ever heard in your life, by the way.(edit)
- Ryan: (on the band) I don’t think there is a limit to how big we want to get.(edit)
- Ryan: (on writing the songs but not singing them) I think it's actually easier. Some of the songs that I write I think I would feel sort of uncomfortable singing, and I'd be more reserved about it . . .(edit)
- Ryan: (about playing festivals) I always hated festivals, but when we started playing them they were really good for our band, they're fun. We haven't done that many, we've only done a handful(edit)
- Ryan: It's such a bum-out when people only have a poster of you because you're good-looking. The Backstreet Boys’ songs were cheesy. They could sing, but nobody really liked them for their music. That waters down what's important. I think we're gonna start covering our faces!(edit)
- Ryan: (on writing the lyrics for the band's second album) Basically every band that blows up writes about how hard it is to be famous and rich and on tour and how all that still sucks, and I decided I wasn't going to do that. The best part for me, creatively, is how many people I've met thanks to all this, and how much I've seen. I've been studying people — a homeless guy in Scotland, a blind accordion player in London — and they've inspired the lyrics I've been writing.(edit)
- Ryan: It's kind of disappointing and disgusting in a way, how some people are focusing on how we look. I think a lot of those things we think are special — the way we dress, the things we put into our stage show — some fans don't even realize that because they're just drooling over (frontman) Brendon (Urie). I feel like it taints the music.(edit)
- Ryan: Well, like, Third Eye Blind was a big influence. You can't exactly hear it that much, but just like the influence of how to write songs. I don't know, just like our foundation, I guess. Towards the end of the writing, some of the songs are meant to sound sort of cinematic, and there's a couple of composers I got into towards the end. Like Danny Elfman, who did Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride, and Edward Scissorhands. And this other guy Jon Brion did Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Punch-Drunk Love, and he's produced some records for artists and stuff. So I think that was a big thing towards the end of it.(edit)
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