I know people who grow old and bitter. I want to keep making a fresh start. I don't want them to defeat me. That would be suicidal. Robert Wyatt More Quotes by Robert Wyatt More Quotes From Robert Wyatt Potentially, America is really the greatest, but it's not yet, I don't think. It's too much like an old-fashioned empire, waving the stick and dropping too many bombs on too many people. Robert Wyatt america people thinking The cultural mix that's happened in the United States is wonderful! Funny enough, one of the most wonderful things about it is that there is no American race. Robert Wyatt united-states race wonderful The United States is a country where everybody can start again. Robert Wyatt united-states states country People have habits about what they think songs should be like. There's the folky thing of: "Poor me, I'm a sensitive person in a cruel world." Or the pop thing of: "Hey, look at me, I'm sexy." Robert Wyatt sexy song thinking I do think there are deep structural things that are wrong in the world. Robert Wyatt world thinking I can't imagine my life without the extraordinary bebop jazz revolution in New York in late '40s and '50s. Robert Wyatt bebop revolution new-york We've all got to earn a living. And writing songs is what I do. But when I've done a record, it's not that I think it's better or worse than anyone else's, but if I think that nobody else would have done it if I hadn't, well then that's ok. Robert Wyatt writing song thinking Because I'm associated with an avant-garde sensibility, people think I'm looking down on popular culture, but I don't want to be part of a new elitism. Robert Wyatt avant-garde people thinking What I like about popular culture is its accessibility, and I've covered popular songs because they are amazing things. Robert Wyatt accessibility song culture There are a lot of composers who were fantastic, but I challenge them to write a record that you could play five times a day for two months on the radio, songs that people will want to dance to on a Saturday night. Robert Wyatt writing song night I don't want to be a professional cripple. And I don't see the suicide stuff as tragic. Robert Wyatt suicide want stuff I looked at what adults were doing and how they wanted to earn money, and I really didn't want to do that. I wanted to go away. Robert Wyatt going-away adults want What hurts people a lot is taking humiliation. Robert Wyatt humiliation hurt people I get slightly irritated by people who say they're natural rebels because it just means that they're going to be against whatever anybody does, which is almost like saying you might as well leave it as it is. Robert Wyatt rebel mean people I'm naturally quite conformist, really. If I go to a country and they say, "You've got to drive on the right," I'm not going to drive on the left to show that I'm different. I'm able to stick to the law. Robert Wyatt different law country I'm not a soldier for anything, either. I'm only a singer and I don't think it makes a difference what we sing. Robert Wyatt differences soldier thinking Clint Eastwood said, the only things America has contributed to civilization are the western and jazz. And I don't think westerns are bad, but lots of people make great cinema. But jazz is right there. Robert Wyatt civilization america thinking I was a latecomer to politics. Maybe I'm just very slow. I got to everything when everyone else had left. Robert Wyatt latecomers left