“Listening closely to songs these days, there's a lot of lazy songwriting where people get away with it. I don't want to be too critical about it. But I also feel like I wanted to say something a bit different from just being a musician and singing about yourself. Ultimately, that's not really interesting to me. Even when I was a kid, I was interested in observing people and maybe making my own stories. That kind of reflects in my music.” PeopleKindDifferentKidsSongInterestingListeningMusicianSingingLazyGet AwaySongwritingAbout YourselfObservingReally Interesting Author:Steve Gunn
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to figure out what to say and, lately, I've started trying to work through things in my head. Before, I wouldn't trust my instincts or what I wanted to say and I really struggled with what I wanted to say. I guess it's just the classic case of writer's block and learning how to work through that. I'm slowly learning how.” TryingInstinctBlockClassic Author:Steve Gunn
“I think a lot about writing and I try to read a lot. Being a musician, I don't take the words lightly; they are very, very important to me. At the same time, the words have to be musical and have to fit.” ThinkingWritingTryingImportantFitMusicianMusical Author:Steve Gunn
“Socially and politically, we seem to be living in dire times, worse times than in the past. But there were far worse horrors in our past. The writer's role is to be a truth sayer. I sincerely believe that each society, each country lives by a particular fantasy vision, a fantasy vision of itself. The truth of how they live is hardly ever faced.” BelieveCountryPastVisionFantasyHorrorLive ByOur PastSincerely Author:Clarence Major
“I discovered surfing, which I absolutely fell in love with. That feels good and kind of keeps your body aligned, so does the salt water.” FeelsKindDoeBodyWaterYour BodyFeel GoodSaltSurfingSalt Water Author:Anthony Kiedis
“In the interest of the ethical and moral health of the country, the writer, the poet, the artist, the thinker, must hold a mirror up his or her country and say, look, this is who we are, this is how we live, this is our past, we must own it, forgive ourselves, transcend our transgressions, and become better people. Turning the tide must be a continuous effort.” PeopleCountryPastArtistInterestEffortMoralPoetForgivingEthicalThinkerOur Past Author:Clarence Major
“Despite the obstacles of race and class, I was always taught that I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. African-American writers, for me, were a beacon, a guiding force.” MindObstaclesAccomplishAmerican Writer Author:Clarence Major
“The prospect of Hillary Clinton not winning the presidency opens up a vast dark hole, an unknown, beyond which it is impossible to know what would happen to race relations or anything else we, as a county, want to improve. It has surprised me that Trump has done so well. I used to think the clamor for Trump was simply part of the rightwing backlash against eight years of President Obama. But perhaps it is that and more than that. There is a lot of suspicion, fear, mistrust, anger and hatred out there.” ThinkingDoneWinningPresidentDarkImpossibleHatredRelationClintonPresident ObamaSuspicionCountyMistrust Author:Clarence Major
“I've never considered soundtracks for what I write. Nor have I considered computer drawing or painting. As a painter, I'm still trying to perfect what I started out doing with brushes, pen and ink, paint, etc. The transition, for me, from typewriter to computer was a big step. I am now very comfortable with writing on a computer but it took awhile. Because I did make that big step I won't rule out what happens in the future.” WritingTryingPerfectPaintingComputerPaintPainterPens Author:Clarence Major
“My fiction is based on both my own experience transformed, altered, juggled and changed to suit the demands of composition, character, and plot. If I see a theme emerging in a story I will likely take it up and develop it. I hardly ever set out with a conscious plan and if I do the story usually takes over and takes me where it wants to go.” CharacterChangedConsciousCompositionEmerging Author:Clarence Major
