Often I don't know what the song means until it's finished. Sometimes months later. I don't think that's bad. It implies that I don't know what I'm doing but-I think if you're able to follow your instincts, then that's knowing what you're doing.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the creative process and the importance of intuition in art.
David Byrne reflects on the nature of creativity, suggesting that the meaning of a song may not be apparent until it is completed, sometimes taking months to understand. He expresses that this ambiguity is not negative; rather, it highlights the role of instinct in the creative process, asserting that following one's instincts is a valid form of knowledge in artistic expression.
In practice
An artist can share this quote during a gallery opening to inspire others about the nature of artistic expression.
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.
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.
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.
You create a community with music, not just at concerts but by talking about it with your friends.
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.
I find rebellion packaged by a major corporation a little hard to take seriously.
All I needed was a steady table and a typewriter...a marble-topped bedroom washstand table made a good place; the dining-room table between meals was also suitable.
Throughout his work, Philip Levine's most powerful commitment has been to the failed and lost, the marginal, the unloved, the unwanted.
Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass.
I think, when I write, one of the things that I'm really attempting to do is I'm attempting to humanize my characters.
When you create those characters that people love and care about and put them in a dark hallway, already the audience is on edge, and they feel empathy for that character. Then it's up to me to decide what jumps out in that hallway. So I think laying that foundation of strong characters and strong story is the most important thing in a horror film.
I love a ballad in print o' life, for then we are sure they are true.
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