Greil Marcus Quotes

Chuck Berry invented rock 'n' roll. He was one of the best songwriters of the 20th century.

If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'.

Neil Young is the prime example, the grand goal, if you will. He's still shredding, and he never lost his credibility.

Early on I was more interested in gypsy jazz music until rock and roll came around and I listened to a lot of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran and skiffle singer Lonnie Donegan.

As long as Elton John can bring forth one performance per album on the order of 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight,' the chance remains that he will become something more than the great entertainer he already is and go on to make a lasting contribution to rock.

I mean, I haven't been completely lacking in some enjoyment of Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly. But I just didn't pay attention to that period of music, obviously.

I was nuts about Elvis, like every girl in America.

Rock and roll is here to stay.

I saw rock n' roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.

People like Frank Zappa were amazing for us Brits.

Leadbelly's guitar is in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.

Now, I don't know how they judge all that, but if anybody in the world deserves to be in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Ritchie Valens does.

It was Elvis who really got me hooked on beat music. When I heard 'Heartbreak Hotel' I thought, this is it.

When I was younger, I was fascinated by David Bowie, for example. he had created an entire myth around himself. It was as important as his music.

I'm pretty obsessed with Stevie Nicks from her style to her voice. I like watching her on YouTube and her old performances, the way she moves and everything.

Cliff Gallup is one of my heroes; I'd dearly love to meet him.

I have always maintained that Iggy Pop is the Heavyweight Champion of Rock & Roll.

Elvis Presley was the big bang. He was the most influential single figure in the history of American pop culture. He changed the way we looked, thought, dressed, held a guitar. He didn't invent rock & roll, but he defined it in a way that everyone who followed him owes him a debt.

I'm obsessed with Stevie Nicks and I think she's awesome - everything from her music to her style.

There are so many reasons to mark the passing of the great Joe Cocker - as many songs as he wrote, recorded and performed in his remarkable concerts. For me, Cocker was also the only performer who successfully covered and even improved on The Beatles.

Rock n' roll sounded like music from another planet. The first time around, we had people like Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis - all them people.

I'm a massive Bowie fan, always have been.

David Bowie, who spent most of the '70s establishing himself as a master of psychological disguises, is spending the '80s trying to convince us that he's just a regular fella - or at least as close to one as a millionaire pop star can be.

It was Stevie Nicks who made the biggest impression and really resonated with me. I found her intriguing and liked her voice. Her songs were kind of mysterious, and she was a woman in a rock band.

Elvis is the king of rock and roll, who made white kids shake their shackle.