Music is worth doing just because. It doesn’t have to be justified by some political point of view, and it’s kind of insulting to the music to make it a tool for something else.
Elliott SmithRead
I got tired of doing battle with people thinking I was a little weird because I wasn't in a band making happy, stilted music. The only people who really seem weird to me are people who think they're normal. People who think it's possible to be normal just by doing the same things that most people do. Is there a most people? I don't know. Television makes it seem like there is, but I think that might just be television.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the nature of normalcy and the idea of conformity in society, suggesting that true individuality is often seen as 'weird.'
Elliott Smith articulates his disillusionment with societal norms and the pressure to conform to what is deemed 'normal.' He highlights the absurdity of expecting everyone to fit a certain mold, emphasizing that those who assert their normalcy are often the ones who are truly unique in their conformity. The quote invites readers to question the validity of societal standards imposed by media and culture.
Themes
NormalWeirdSocietyIndividualityConformity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared at a creativity workshop to encourage students to embrace their uniqueness.
More from Elliott Smith
All quotes →Everybody gets a tag. If you listen to a Velvet Underground record, you don't think, 'Godfathers of Punk.' You just think, 'This sounds great.' The tags are there in order to help try to sell something by giving it a name that's going to stick in somebody's memory. But it doesn't describe it. So 'depressing' isn't a word I would use to describe my music. But there is some sadness in it -- there has to be, so that the happiness in it will matter.
Elliott SmithRead
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