I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right.
Frank ZappaRead
Most people wouldn't know music if it came up and bit them on the ass.
Interpretation
The quote critiques people's lack of understanding and appreciation of music.
Frank Zappa's statement highlights the idea that many individuals are unaware of the depth and nuances of music, suggesting that they do not recognize its significance or value in their lives. He implies that music, which is often taken for granted, deserves a more attentive and profound appreciation from people, rather than a cursory or superficial engagement.
In practice
In a discussion about the importance of music education, this quote could emphasize the need for deeper engagement with the art form.
I like to watch the news, because I don't like people very much and when you watch the news... if you ever had an idea that people were really terrible, you could watch the news and know that you're right.
The richest people in the world aren't particularly smart or happy. And the happiest people in the world aren't particularly smart or rich.β¦ That leaves me making music. But we can't talk about that.
Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain.
Don't mind your make-up, you'd better make your mind up.
Music is always a commentary on society.
I'm more interested in melodic things. I think the biggest challenge when you go to play a solo is trying to invent a melody on the spot.
There is no longer beauty except in the struggle. No more masterpieces without an aggressive character. Poetry must be a violent assault against the unknown forces in order to overcome them and prostrate them before men.
This is the gift all writers seek-to write language that incandesces yet does not melt.
Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.
I am going for a level of perfection that is only mine... Most of the pleasure is in getting the last little piece perfect.
Jazz is the only music in which the same note can be played night after night but differently each time.
As in creating some significant work the artist first experiences something akin to dream awareness that becomes clarified in the creative process itself, so we must first have a vision of the future sufficiently entrancing that it will sustain us in the transformation of the human project that is now in process.
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