Musical Obscurity Quotes

I was aware of all the artists who make good debut records over the years, but no one hears them - and I wanted to make sure that didn't happen in my case.

I never could get over the fact that The Pixies formed, worked and separated without America taking them to its heart or even recognizing their existence for the most part.

Alfred Schnittke was an important contemporary composer, and he lived in Germany, but no one here has heard of him. Everyone has heard of Mozart, and many believe that he can still be found in that little house in Salzburg, which is why people stand there in line. I think that our music and our art belong to our era. If the public doesn't show up, it must be stupid.

I don't want to be a one-hit wonder.

People have heard my music, but all my famous songs were made famous by somebody else... But that was my goal.

I think it's easy to make impenetrable music that nobody can get, and you can hide behind that sometimes.

Too many drummers sit at the back covered in drums, and you never see them.

Bands who are in their early 20s today, they are living in their own time and they have a series of parameters they have to work around. Ten years ago, our reality was spending a lot more time in obscurity before anyone really knew who we were. I don't feel like I have any real advice to give anybody who is starting a band today. As Mike Watt said, "You know, not everyone has the ability to be born at the same time." We wanted to be like R.E.M., but the reality is that 15 years after R.E.M. was putting out those records, the playing field had changed drastically as well.