I’d say that “My Way” was very significant for my era of artists and art history and reminding people that even though hip-hop mattered, R&B did as well, because I do think that it became more about the opulence and the lifestyle more so than the dance and the entertainment. I can literally remember a time […]
Music Quotes
I wasn’t a traditional R&B artist, and I’d never really had the childhood pop-sensation record.
I tend to gravitate towards stuff that’s really hard. I like a situation that you find yourself in where you really don’t know what you’re doing. I find it terrifying and thrilling in equal measures. What comes out of it often surprises me, because I didn’t know I was capable of doing it.
I’ve always steered clear of situations that involved spontaneous music in an intimate setting. It always sort of terrified me, because I’m really a “studio guy”. I work really hard to achieve the sound and performances that I get. I’m not a spontaneous, song-and-dance guy who can sit down at a piano and jam.
As a boy, I’d always had an interest in theater. But the idea at my school was that drama and music were to round out the man. It wasn’t what one did for a living.
With Hall & Oates, there are a lot of songs I would redo.
I don’t think there is one best Hall & Oates album. Truthfully, the most impactful albums to me are my solo albums. They’re the ones that matter the most to me because I liked the people I worked with.
It takes a lifetime of music to get to the point where you’re like, “You know what, I really don’t care what people think. I want to do something that I find is interesting and hopefully that will resonate with other people.”
I’ve always indulged in instrumental music, from the “Vienna” album, like the opening track “Astrodyne.”
All great music is the result of successful invention. You’re going toward something you think is valuable. There’s risk involved, but you welcome it. Part of being a musician is reporting on what you experience. If you deliberately limit your experiences, your reporting will be limited.
