When things get so absurd and so stupid and so ridiculous that you just can't bear it, you cannot help but turn everything into a joke.
David ByrneRead
Forces that you might think are utterly unrelated to creativity can have a big impact. Technology, obviously, but environment, too. Even financial structures can affect the actual content of a song. The making of music is profoundly affected by the market.
Interpretation
What this quote means
External factors such as technology and environment significantly influence creativity.
David Byrne highlights the interconnectedness of creativity and external influences, suggesting that elements like technology, the environment, and financial systems play a crucial role in shaping artistic expression, particularly in music. The quote underscores the idea that creativity is not just an internal process but also a response to various external conditions that can enhance or restrict artistic output.
Themes
CreativityTechnologyEnvironmentMusicMarketInfluence
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about how music evolves with technology, you can use this quote to emphasize the influence of external factors.
More from David Byrne
All quotes →I certainly agree that putting everything into little genres is counterproductive. You're not going to get too many surprises if you only focus on the stuff that fits inside the box that you know.
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Real sadness is such an all-encompassing intense thing that it takes you out of your humdrum existence. If you can still function, you want to show it while it's peaking. So when people tell you to cheer up, it's not always the best thing.
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I find rebellion packaged by a major corporation a little hard to take seriously.
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We don't make music, it makes us
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