I've always known why I do what I do. I didn't need to be psychoanalysed to find that out. Greil Marcus More Quotes by Greil Marcus More Quotes From Greil Marcus Think about how rare it is for anyone to encounter a teacher who can open you up to the notion that there is an infinite amount of meaning and possibility and inspiration in the smallest thing before you. Greil Marcus inspiration teacher thinking If Bob Dylan really is an historian in and of himself in his work, in his performances, he is also an historian with a unique sense of humor. There's always been a bit of a stand-up comic in him. Greil Marcus sense-of-humor bob unique I never could understand - it was impossible for me to get my head around - what the furor was, what the sense of betrayal and anger and rage was about Bob Dylan's beginning to perform with a band, to play rock-and-roll, to get on the radio. Greil Marcus betrayal rock-and-roll rocks I never find myself even catching lyrics until something in the sound has taken me captive. Thinking about anything else is just the pleasurable byproduct of wow. Greil Marcus taken sound thinking Hearing things like 'Wake Up' by Lora Logic, or the Raincoats' 'In Love' - that was something I wasn't prepared for. I couldn't hear anything that came before it in the music, and I didn't want to. I was absolutely in love with its out-of-nowhereness. Greil Marcus hearing-things wake-up want Van Morrison remains a singer who can be compared to no other in the history of modern popular music. Greil Marcus vans modern singers Elvis transcends his talent to the point of dispensing with it altogether. Greil Marcus redneck talent Bob Dylan continues to release odd and unsettling records, and to do odd and unsettling things on stage. So the term "still" seems meaningless to me. But the real answer is simple: I listen to Bob Dylan for pleasure more than I listen to anyone else for pleasure. Greil Marcus records real simple I learned that when something just has to be said to move the discussion along, or broaden it or deepen it, if I can just keep my mouth shut for five minutes a student will say it. So for me a lot of teaching is about keeping my mouth shut. Greil Marcus teaching mouths moving I was the first records editor at Rolling Stone, and there were no rules. There was nothing to fall back on as to how do you write about this kind of music, so people were trying absolutely everything with a great sense of freedom and experimentation and success and failure, and a feeling of, “My God, people are actually paying attention to this. Let’s pretend they aren’t because we don’t want to be intimidated by what somebody might think of what we’re saying. Greil Marcus writing fall thinking I had tremendous fun fooling around with the way people talked about songs, just the way that became another way of understanding the world. Greil Marcus song fun people You're going to react to a painting in a way that the painting demands you react. Greil Marcus painting demand way If 'Mystery Train' is my Nixon book and 'Lipstick Traces' my Reagan book, 'Invisible Republic' is my Bill Clinton book. I really liked Clinton. He made me proud to be part of this country again. For all of his failings, the way he put all that he'd done in jeopardy, I supported him from beginning to end. Greil Marcus done country book An obsession with untold stories is a source of energy. Greil Marcus untold source obsession energy I tend not to meet the people I write about because I'm not really interested in the people I write about as people. I don't want to know about their family life. I don't want to know about their bad habits or their good deeds. I'm interested in their work. Greil Marcus good family work life I'm a fan of Oliver Stone. I like his movies, I like his excess, and I think he has a great capacity for empathy and it comes out more powerfully in this movie than in any of his other films, even the formal 'I'm identifying with the underdog' movies like 'Born on the Fourth of July.' Greil Marcus movies great think empathy After Chuck Berry died, it seemed web sites popped up like mushrooms to show where he'd taken the guitar introduction to 'Johnny B. Goode' from to prove that his music was nothing new, that it was only ignorance, or vanity, that led his listeners to think that not only was the music different - they might be, too. Greil Marcus think guitar music ignorance I think criticism, or a critical engagement with history, has a good deal to do with a willingness to be fooled. Greil Marcus good think criticism history Buddy Holly had something very different from the other great early rock n' roll stars, whether it was Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Bo Diddley. He came across as so ordinary, as such a nerd. You know, he was a big guy, and he carried a gun. He was anything but a nerd. Greil Marcus great you gun stars My father was executive officer, which is second-in-command, on a ship called the Hull, one of three ordered into a typhoon by Admiral Halsey - an insane and sadistic decision. Greil Marcus ship three decision father
