Jonathan Raymond Quotes

I look upon [writing about religion] as a nice way to get by in this precarious world, though I've never been able to do it myself.

I don't think I could write a novel that wasn't theological.

The poets are only the interpreters of the gods.

I think and write whenever I want an outlet.

Intellectuals and creative people, once they start talking about God they get put into this other category: 'I don't go to people's music like that to understand my life.'

When I write, I can become this ecstatic, crazy fellow, hearing the voices and just loosening up and letting them grow.

I'm finding that writing poetry is strengthening my songwriting, because you're learning to make a piece of writing work on a page with nothing else. I was also finding within poetry I felt a lot more free to write about very different matters, to write about social issues or things that are going on around me.

It's pretty much rock-'n'-roll. I sit down and start feeling stuff and writing.

When I don't write, I feel my world shrinking. I feel I am in a prison. I feel I lose my fire and my color. It should be a necessity, as the sea needs to heave, and I call it breathing.

Write what you love and love what you write.

I don't really write for fun; it's not an enjoyable experience. For me, art, or whatever the hell it is I do, has always been a refuge from that which makes me want to tear my lungs out. That's why I play like I play; I'm not into entertainment.

But 'why then publish?' There are no rewards Of fame or profit when the world grows weary. I ask in turn why do you play at cards? Why drink? Why read? To make some hour less dreary. It occupies me to turn back regards On what I've seen or pondered, sad or cheery, And what I write I cast upon the stream To swim or sink. I have had at least my dream.

All music comes from God.

Most of the time, writing is a lot of fun, and not a small amount of self-medication.

My inspiration comes from that and so I wrote ‘Killing Jesus,’ because I think I was directed to write that.

writing is the most personal form of prayer.

I write to the beat and let life play the guitar strings

I gathered poets around me and we all wrote beautiful erotica. As we were condemned to focus only on sensuality, we had violent explosions of poetry. Writing erotica became a road to sainthood rather than to debauchery.

It's fun to play characters in songs. I can just cheat a little bit... be this person for just a small amount of time and just help vent that idea.

I think good creative writing opens up space for people to come into. Let God reach out and touch the human soul. That's not my job. I get to be present and create as much space as I can ... That frees me up just to be creative in the way I want to be.

I love to play music, and this is fun, and let's record this stuff in a way that we both like. That was exciting enough, so we just recorded it. There was no business in it until the very last minute, really. It was really as much of an extension of me writing the songs in my bedroom as it could possibly be.

Art is the Godhead as revealed in the works of man.

Writing is the one art form that really should allow you to hang yourself.

If you're a writer, you want to get your soul out there, where people can look at it.

[Voicing a cartoon] feels like going down a mysterious but joyful black hole. Once you relax for 15 or 20 minutes, and really go, "I don't care if I look like an ass," it's really fun to see what happens. You know that nothing is being visually judged.