Dory Previn Quotes

Singing, writing songs, is kind of my biggest fear, but it's the thing I feel I need to conquer.

I've always been insecure about my singing. That's why I've focused so much on my songwriting.

When you sit down and play your music for someone you respect, you get that feeling in your stomach of like: 'Oh my God...' You know if it's not great because you start to feel sick.

When you're playing such brilliant music every day, then the last thing you ever want to do is try to write something of your own that's crude and not as good.

I've always had this passion to be creative, and wanted to sing or be in bands and make music, but I didn't have ideas as to what format it'd be, or how I'd do it. I'm not very good with plans. I didn't think it would be me at the front, either. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that was something I'd prevent.

Every time I do something or release something or announce a new project, there's always that fear that it won't go well.

Fear just crushes creativity, and if I let fear into the studio and into the songwriting, I was going to let it kill the artist inside of me.

I write good songs out of fear... fear of failure. Because if they're not good enough, you feel yourself starting to fall.

Trying to write new music is definitely daunting, but I try not to overthink it.

Every single time I step into the studio, I say, 'Can I still do this? Do I still have it? Have I ever had it?' I suppose there's a good amount of self-loathing that goes into any form of artisanship.

The idea of dancing is the only thing that scares me.

I am certainly suffering from a modicum of performance anxiety.

I was kind of scared of failing at acting.

Every single time I start to do a picture, without fail, I feel as if I don't know what I'm doing.

I can plunk out enough chords to write a song, but I'm completely afraid to play guitar in front of other people. It's a fear of failure, I guess.

There is always a point when one senses one's lack of skill, the doubt.

In a way, I'm always trying to do something I'm not qualified to do. So I feel that lack of qualification. And I'm scared. And I have a tendency to think things may not/probably won't work out. That's my basic mindset.

I'm in a complete state of panic before I begin something because I'm sure that it's going to be a complete disaster. I'm going to do a worse job than anybody could ever imagine anybody doing on the planet Earth.

As a musician and a songwriter, it is an act of the ego to believe that other people might be interested in your point of view. But it is usually an empathetic nature that gets you going in the first place.

When I first started as an editorial cartoonist, I was terrified on a daily basis. Filling that hole the next day, knowing that tens of thousands of people were going to expect something funny. There is still that pressure, but you kind of learn how to cope with it a little better.

Performing is the easiest part of what I do, and songwriting is the hardest.

I'm not trying to steal the show. I tend to shy away from - I don't want to say the spotlight - how about responsibility? It's just very daunting. These movies are very intimidating. 'Captain America.' This is the stuff I struggle with.

I am not comfortable telling people I am trying stand-up because to me that implies confidence. I'm - well, I'm not.

I always feel scared and insecure on a film set. I don't know any other way.

I often wrangle with myself as an actor, and wrestle with the process. In striving for authenticity I often have the feeling I am falling short.