William T. Vollmann Quotes

The best night of my life was watching the Japanese Noh theater. I've only seen it once, but even saying it now, I think, 'How can I ever have this experience again?' It was so mesmerizing, so complicated and so primordial; I could not believe it.

The New York City Ballet is obviously speaking to a whole new generation and bringing it the same wonder and beauty that it brought previous generations.

A person can do a lot of reading and research as I have done. I went to Spain and spent a whole summer there with my family, immersing myself in the culture. But all that isn't really necessary to experience the music.

I loved my time in Japan, and I am grateful to have had the chance to live in Japan and embrace the Japanese culture.

I've seen other comics, with great pleasure, watching their own specials, and I don't know how or why they do it.

I'm a culture vulture, and I just want to experience it all.

I started out as a dancer as a kid; I've been dancing since I was 4. So, performing was always part of what I was. I don't know if it I enjoyed the response I got from people or if I liked having an audience, but there's something in me that wanted to perform.

I had seen 'Pillowman' in London and loved it. Being part of something that I, as an audience member, would like to be part of was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.

China was the first time I truly felt like an outsider. I fell in love with the process of trying to become intimate with the culture.

I come from the theater, where the response to your work is immediate, and I suppose there's a part of me that still craves that.

Whatever I'm throwing out there in my work, you either catch that detail because you're ready to catch it, but if you're not, that's OK - you're still being entertained.

I totally understand that I am a little outrageous in some ways... I'm a little un-P.C., but I really wish I had the chance to perform for the American fans.

Every now and then, when you're on stage, you hear the best sound a player can hear. It's a sound you can't get in movies or in television. It is the sound of a wonderful, deep silence that means you've hit them where they live.

From the first, I took the Japanese seriously. In many respects, they were our equals. In others, they seemed to be our superiors.

If I can just play, it doesn't matter where we are... Japan, Australia, or here in the neighborhood.

Whenever I play recitals, the part where I talk about music and my experiences of music, audiences always like it. They feel more involved with an artist who talks to them. It's a nice experience for me as well.

There's obviously a group who enjoys what Tyler Perry is putting out there. And why fault them? And there's a group that loves the things that Spike does. So they should enjoy that, too. Is it my taste? Maybe not, but I'm not going to fault anybody for doing what they're doing as long as people are showing up.

Yes, I believe stories are very important to all performances. The life story of the performer shapes their work, and the life stories of the audience alter how they receive the work, what they read into the performer.

I remember going to Taiwan for the first time and... I didn't realize that everyone looked like me here and what that'd feel like.

What I love is to create a show and for people to enjoy it and be aware that's what it is: a show.

No matter how certain I am about some culture or some group of people, my opinions are only as accurate as the amount of time I've spent with them.

I love working in front of American crowds.

In terms of the culture, you can't beat Japan. It's my favourite country. It's one of those places you never want to leave. I love the people, I love the food, and I love their fashion because they're not afraid to experiment.

I would love to live in Japan again, but would need to really commit to learning the language before doing it. Both my parents speak Japanese fluently, so I suppose it would feel like a tradition.

I've done a lot of other shows in the U.S. that have been great, but I knew that 'Roadies' was something special. I feel very, very fortunate.