Musicians understand each other through means other than speaking.

Ry Cooder

After all is said and done and institutions fail, people still have some ability to care for each other.

All I know is, I play the guitar, beat it out, and sing a song that has some damn resonance that we feel as musicians. We send it out and people get it, and that's a good thing.

Film work is a job I like to do because I really love to solve problems.

How many BMWs do you need? How many Rolex watches you gonna wear in your lifetime, for crying out loud? What is it about that kind of desire? I don't understand it.

I keep my mind on track, and I don't get mad, and I don't get frustrated. Well, I do... but creative work, it's a way of controlling all that.

I like classical music. I especially like the French composers: Ravel in particular. Debussy. That's so soothing in a nervous world.

I like the idea that something happens to everybody who comes to L.A. - whether they are Mexican, Irish, black, or hillbillies. You come here, and you leave all your traditions behind. And since there's no traditions here, you just make one up.

I think all the music I do, which ties together, as far as I'm concerned, is fun and entertaining.

I think I'm more relaxed; I think I'm more philosophical. I don't get worried as much as I used to about things.

I'm a great lover of ballads.

I've done a fair amount of commercials. I did a bunch of Champion spark plug ads and Levi's and Molson Beer. You wouldn't know it. But some of it's damn good.

If you're taught to hate and fear a people or a country, and it works, it's because of your ignorance of that country. You have no contact with it, nor do you know what you're hating and fearing.

If you're white working with non-white people, you will be branded as a colonialist by some people, regardless of your efforts or intentions.

It all started back in '69 when I worked with Jack Nitzsche on 'Performance.' That was my first experience of doing soundtracks, and I've enjoyed doing them ever since.

Music is all starting to sound alike in the modern era. Afro-pop sounds exactly like L.A. pop - there's no difference, no ambience, no real resonance.

Nat King Cole - I listen to him a lot.

People respond to any good you can do in music.

People who aren't as interested in recorded music as they used to be will say, 'Oh, 'Buena Vista?' Loved it.' And I'll say, 'Well, how about any of my other recent records. I've been doing some pretty good ones. You like those?' And they go, 'Huh?

Some people have career plans, long-range career plans. I don't know anything about that. I'm no good at it.

To me, the essence of the music is the most important thing.