I think I'm a vocal genius, not a musical genius. I like background vocals. I consider myself a voice, not a singer. A voice is a sound, and singing is what you do with that sound.
Interpretation
Brian Wilson distinguishes between being a 'voice,' which conveys sound, and being a 'singer,' which involves the technique of singing.
In this quote, Brian Wilson expresses his unique perspective on his artistry, emphasizing that his strength lies in his vocal abilities rather than traditional singing skills. He identifies himself more with the concept of 'voice' as a medium of expression rather than adhering to the expectations of being a conventional singer, highlighting the difference between producing sound and the art of singing itself.
In practice
A music workshop focused on vocal exploration could use this quote to inspire participants.
Serious art has been the work of individual artists whose art has had nothing to do with 'style' because they were not in the least connected with the style or the needs of the masses. Their works arose rather in defiance of their times.
A composer is not only an architect but also an inventor, and he should not build houses in which he cannot live.
Picture and sculpture are the celebrations and festivities of form.
If you can actually get someone to sit on the edge of their seat and feel nervous if there's a knock at the door, then you've done something pretty terrific as a writer.
Art is not for the cultivated taste. It is to cultivate taste.
Judge: And what is your occupation in general? Brodsky: Poet, poet-translator. Judge: And who recognized you to be a poet? Who put you in the ranks of poet? Brodsky: No one. And who put me in the ranks of humanity? Judge: Did you study it?...How to be a poet? Did you attempt to finish an insitute of higher learning...where they prepare...teach Brodsky: I did not think that it is given to one by education. Judge: By what then? Brodsky: I think that it is from God.
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