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.
The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.
Painting doesn't freeze time. It circulates and recycles time like a wheel that turns. Those who were first might well be last. Painting is a very slow art. It doesn't travel with the speed of light. That's why dead painters shine so bright.
Writing is a fine thing, because it combines the two pleasures of talking to yourself and talking to a crowd.
You hope that the responsibility of making movies will fall into the hands of essentially moral people.
The tea ceremony requires years of training and practice ... yet the whole of this art, as to its detail, signifies no more than the making and serving of a cup of tea. The supremely important matter is that the act be performed in the most perfect, most polite, most graceful, most charming manner possible.
I know I'm not the kind of music that's going to have tons of screaming fans, and I'm not gonna be everyone's cup of tea. I just want to do as good a job as I can.
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