Home / Quotes / Quote by Richard Meltzer

Quote by Richard Meltzer

“I didn't mind writing incoherently, up until about 1980, occasionally. But after that, I decided, might as well be articulate. And I found, though, that writing poetry affected my prose to the point where I never again wrote in one draft, and my prose just took longer and longer and longer. It took longer and longer to come up with an acceptable text. And that's probably one of the reasons that my output has slowed down.”

Quote by Richard Meltzer

Author

Richard Meltzer

Richard Meltzer, born on May 11, 1945, is a renowned musical artist known for his innovative career and unique musical style. His lyrics often delve into social and political issues, making a significant impact on the music industry. more

You May Also Like

“If I looked at some of these pieces as if this project was not spoken-word but just short anthology, I probably would have fussed with some of the sentences, you know? Syllabication and prosody and such crap. Because the printed word is etched in stone. But for reading purposes I accepted this book of texts in the manner in which I wrote them, no need to fuss. Most of the shorter stuff was written as poetry. Meaning lots of white space on the page.”

Ifs Knows Needs Book Purpose Reading Stuff Space White Pieces Written Projects Pages Stones Sentences Accepted Crap Printed Spoken Word Anthology Printed Word White Space Prosody

Author:Richard Meltzer

“I mean, what's thematic? How to put it? Going back to, like, 1980, when I started writing poetry. Language itself became an issue. I'd even think about font as an aspect of text, you know, how something looks on a page. A lot of this is the product of a very solitary existence, it's like, language, I mean, you know. A lot of time spent alone in the creation of all of this stuff.”

Thinking Knows Writing Looks Mean Language Stuff Existence Know How Issues Creation Products Pages Aspect Solitary Writing Poetry Time Spent Fonts Thematic

Author:Richard Meltzer

“The first five years as a writer, I didn't know how to write at all. I couldn't write my way out of a white paper bag. And yet, I did some remarkable things. And later on, there were periods where I got this mission to find an articulate voice with rewrites and all. There were periods where I was as dense as Faulkner.”

Knows Way Writing Years Firsts Voice White Know How Five Periods Paper Missions My Way Five Years Bags Remarkable Dense Paper Bags White Paper

Author:Richard Meltzer

“No matter what, I'm never going to get an anthology from an actual publisher, though I could always score another music anthology. But if this is going to be a document of a multiplicity of my writings, it'll do. It feels like a birthday party or something.”

Ifs Feels Writing Matter Party No Matter What Score Documents Publishers Multiplicity Anthology Birthday Party

Author:Richard Meltzer

“Basically, I've reached the point where I've lost any direct relationship to any of the editors I used to have. I suspect I'll have to pay to publish this myself, and I think a lot about about putting out fifty copies. I used to think about hogwash like my legacy and silly things like that. But I feel like if I never have another book out, I've done okay, I've had like twelve or thirteen little books, and I won't be upset about this on my death bed.”

Ifs Thinking Feels Littles Book Done Used Lost Pay Bed Direct Okay Silly Legacy Upset Fifty Suspects Copies Editors Twelve Publish Thirteen Silly Things Death Bed Hogwash

Author:Richard Meltzer

“And the whole online thing is like, I just, that to me is a world that doesn't exist. It's not something you could touch or lick or smell. And as my eyes get worse, it's very hard to read. And there's no money in it. I mean, it's like they pay, like the best you can go is 1970 prices.”

World Mean Hard Whole Eye Pay Smell Online No Money

Author:Richard Meltzer

“One of the things about me is that I actually had marginally middle-class living from writing. For years and years, I actually wrote so much through the '70s and '80s that I made a living. And very rarely have I had to take another job. And now it's impossible for anybody coming up to make such a living. They've pissed in the temple, you know?”

Knows Writing Years Made Jobs Class Impossible Middle Temples Middle Class 80s

Author:Richard Meltzer

“When you make it to eighty-four, then you're ready to sit back and think universal and systematic. I was a philosophy major a long, long time ago. At Stony Brook. You had something to do with some state university school?”

Thinking Long States Philosophy School Four Ready Majors Long Time Universal University Eighty Long Time Ago Systematic Brooks

Author:Richard Meltzer

“But the poetry side is what appeals more to me today. Metaphor, just absurd linkages and coming up with categories, labeling, taxonomy, and I'd say that I do have some tools left. There are days I can't make a sentence out of anything, and anything I make looks clunky to me. But I still have a general grasp of the cliché, of the generic sentence. And if I didn't have that, I'd be a blob of putty on the floor.”

Ifs Looks Stills I Can Today Left Sides Tools Metaphor Sentences Absurd Appeals Categories Generic Labeling Linkages Taxonomy

Author:Richard Meltzer

“I literally cannot remember one joke.”

Author:Judd Apatow