I was an English major in university and that got me into novels, but I read a lot of books as a kid. Dan Mangan More Quotes by Dan Mangan More Quotes From Dan Mangan Getting out on stage and playing music for people feels great when people are cheering for you, that's obviously really exciting. But what's most exciting is the idea that we're all experiencing something that's bigger than us. Dan Mangan cheer people ideas I grew up with a rotary phone in my house and that seems a world away, but that's what I was used to as a kid. So now things seem complicated to me, but to kids born right now, they don't feel complicated. Dan Mangan phones house kids If you make everything really on the nose so everyone knows exactly what you're talking about, it's often not as strong. Dan Mangan strong noses talking I think that's why art prevails: because it helps people in a fairly intangible, magical way feel more connected to each other. Dan Mangan people art thinking I used to be so young, how did I get so old? Dan Mangan used-to-be used young Sold my soul to the devil / for nice penmanship. / Now I write real pretty / but I'm starting to regret it. Dan Mangan regret nice real The most rewarding possible thing that a songwriter or an artist of any kind can experience is to hear firsthand from the mouth of somebody else that they don't know the weight or gravity or intensity that something they've made has brought out in somebody else's life. It's simultaneously flattering and humbling. It makes me so thankful that I've been so lucky to be able to do this work. Dan Mangan lucky artist weight You feel the weight of the world and you take things in and you are acting out from a place of being pushed and visceral. It's heavy. You can't be there all of the time. Dan Mangan acting weight world I think the only thing that we even have a small tangent of reality or truth about is right now - the moment that is happening right this second. Everything else is up for grabs. Dan Mangan moments reality thinking To say, "It used to be better," nobody can say, "Well, no it wasn't." It's like telling a story that is self-aggrandizing about someone who has passed away, when they can't tell the other side of the story. Dan Mangan self stories sides The idea that things used to be better is fantasy. It's putting a halo on something that no one can disprove. Dan Mangan halos fantasy ideas When you ask my three year old if my iPhone is too complicated, it's not. It's all relative. Dan Mangan iphone three years I remember somebody saying, "I feel really bad for kids growing up around iPads right now. It's just too complicated. Life's too complicated." I think, yeah, but I remember being a kid and holding up a new piece of technology that was made in the '80s and my grandparents going, "Oh, it's too complicated." It didn't seem complicated to me. Dan Mangan growing-up technology kids The idea that things intrinsically were just better is so stupid to me because they never were. It's all relative. Dan Mangan relative stupid ideas I can predict with some sense of certainty how life will feel in a month. I can with the same logic remember with the same element of reality or truth what life was like a month ago. All perspectives on the past are entirely relative. Dan Mangan perspective reality past I think articulating things through song is a good way of letting people know that they're not alone. Dan Mangan song people thinking If I write about something that I've experienced and somebody goes, "Oh my God, I feel the exact same way," then both of us are connected, and when you feel connected to people, you feel understood. You feel a sense of purpose. Dan Mangan purpose writing people If the point of good art is to be somewhat subtle then it's not going to catch everyone. Dan Mangan subtle ifs art I don't necessarily think I look to books for ideas, but sometimes when I'm in the process of reading a great book, I just think about it all of the time. Dan Mangan reading book thinking I think books are just a great ticket to get you outside of yourself. You can not be you for a second and live in the shoes of a character, which is a special thing. Dan Mangan character book thinking
