“Some musicians play blues, others classical jazz or bluegrass. I like to play political roles because I can merge my political interests with my creative interests.” I CanPlayPoliticalInterestRolesCreativeMusicianJazzBecause I CanBluegrass Author:Jeffrey Wright
“I know there are a lot of musicians and a lot of artists, and there are a lot of writers and other people who inspire young people, but I'd like to see somebody in political life be able to connect and make these choices that we need to make in Washington real in terms of people's lives.” PeopleKnowsNeedsRealAbleYoungPoliticalLife IsArtistChoicesTermInspireMusicianPolitical Life Author:John F. Kerry
“Like most artists and musicians, I considered myself detached from the political life. But I had an insight that maybe we would have a political contribution to make in the future.” PoliticalArtistMusicianInsightContributionDetachedPolitical Life Author:Gilberto Gil
“I think, for some artists, the fear of taking on a political identity stems from not wanting to be pigeonholed as political actor or a political musician. It becomes this thing where somehow your art can no longer exist on its own and be multifaceted.” ThinkingArtPoliticalArtistActorsIdentityMusicianStem Author:Carrie Brownstein
“The internet has a way of mainstreaming everything. Any artist, any musician, any sexual kink, any political view point, it's all there.” WayPoliticalArtistViewsInternetMusicianPolitical ViewKink Author:Arthur Jones
“I'm a spiritual musician, I think there has been enough political musicians and I think everything that can be said has been said about political, social things, you know, and there's still some more to be said but not much.” ThinkingKnowsHas BeensSaidStillsEnoughSpiritualPoliticalSocialMusician Author:Ziggy Marley
“I am still very proud of that concert. In America, the (musicians') connection with the conductor is as with management - it becomes political. You cannot conduct properly in this environment. I hate this enemy situation between management and orchestra members.” StillsAmericaPoliticalHateSituationEnemyEnvironmentProudMembersMusicianConnectionsI HateManagementConcertsOrchestraConductor Author:Neeme Jarvi
“Musicians always want to sacrifice our creativity to get involved in environmental issues or political activism of some sort - to reduce it to something more populist in terms of sing-alongs or guitar songs with a message.” WantPoliticalSongTermCreativityIssuesSacrificeInvolvedMessagesMusicianEnvironmentalGuitarActivismGet InvolvedPopulistEnvironmental IssuesPolitical Activism Author:Eyvind Kang
“I did, I was in Europe a lot. I would say, mid 20s to late 30s. Less so in the last ten or twelve years. Based on some political stuff and other things, I think I'm not the only musician, the only American jazz musician that's not going to Europe quite as much. I think we're seen a little differently in the world, unfortunately, than we were pre-Iraq invasion and things like that.” ThinkingWorldYearsLittlesLastsPoliticalStuffTenLateMusicianEuropeJazzIraqTwelveInvasionJazz MusicJazz Musician Author:Jon Gordon
“I feel like musicians have such a precarious place in the political discourse, because musicians are, sort of just by nature, people-pleasers.” PoliticalMusician Author:John Flansburgh
“I don't believe that the Democratic party has anything to do with the Left. We have two political parties in the US: a right wing party and a right centrist party. That's the Democrats. I laugh when people describe Barack Obama as a socialist president. As a socialist musician, I'll tell you when we have a socialist president. We don't have one now, not even close.” PeopleBelievePoliticalPresidentPartyLaughingMusicianDemocraticDemocratBarackSocialistPolitical PartiesDemocratic PartyRight Wing Author:Tom Morello
“The anti-nuke movement has important and far-reaching implications for grassroots organizing. It can unite kids and musicians, everybody, whether they're leftist or rightist, or radical, or Republican, because energy is energy. But in fact, it is a real political struggle - it shows people that it's big business against the people.” PeopleImportantRealFactsShowsBigsKidsPoliticalEnergyStruggleMovementRepublicanMusicianRadicalReachingImplicationsBig BusinessLeftistsGrassrootsNukesPolitical Struggle Author:Bonnie Raitt
“It has always seemed slightly uncomfortable, the idea of politicised musicians. Very few of them are clever enough to do it; if they're good at the political side, the music side suffers, and vice versa.” IfsIdeasEnoughPoliticalSufferingSidesMusicianVicesCleverUncomfortableVice Versa Author:Robert Smith
“I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies.” LovePoliticalArtistPoliticsSoundPowerMusicianDrawsHarmonyArtisticChordsViolinPower Of LoveGreater PowerMusician Love Author:Napoleon Bonaparte