All art really does is keep you focused on questions of humanity, and it really is about how do we get on with our maker.
David BowieRead
When I'm stuck for a closing to a lyric, I will drag out my last resort: overwhelming illogic.
Interpretation
David Bowie expresses the creative struggle of finding closure in songwriting, resorting to illogical ideas when necessary.
In this quote, David Bowie shares a glimpse into the creative process of songwriting, highlighting the moments of difficulty when one is unsure how to conclude a lyric. The mention of 'overwhelming illogic' suggests that in times of creative blockage, unconventional or nonsensical ideas can serve as a last resort, ultimately fostering creativity and encouraging artistic expression even in the face of uncertainty.
In practice
During a songwriting workshop to encourage creativity.
All art really does is keep you focused on questions of humanity, and it really is about how do we get on with our maker.
I guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.
I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.
Nothing prepared me for your smile
But I've got to think of myself as the luckiest guy. Robert Johnson only had one album's worth of work as his legacy. That's all that life allowed him.
I'm an early riser. I get up between five and six, have coffee, and read for a couple of hours before everyone else gets up.
Beauty is the experience that gives us a sense of joy and a sense of peace simultaneously.
Music straightjackets a poem and prevents it from breathing on its own, whereas it liberates a lyric. Poetry doesn't need music; lyrics do.
Musicians are often asked to answer for an entire culture, or for an entire movement. It's a process of commodification. It becomes packaged and summarized in a word like 'emo' or 'grunge'... or 'folk music.' I think that's just language itself, trying to understand the mysteries of the world.
The beauty one can find in art is one of the pitifully few real and lasting products of human endeavor.
The writer of prose can only step aside when the poet passes...
If it can affect me, if it has meaning to me, if I feel I can do it well, I will do it and record it and thats why I recorded these songs.
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