New Orleans cats don't play a lot of solos unless they got something to say. It's not an ego thing like it is with some other musicians. You say what you gotta say and then shut up. Dr. John More Quotes by Dr. John More Quotes From Dr. John The events which transpired five thousand years ago; Five years ago or five minutes ago, have determined what will happen five minutes from now; five years From now or five thousand years from now. All history is a current event. Dr. John determined events years When the voice and the vision on the inside is more profound, and more clear and loud than all opinions on the outside, you've begun to master your life. Dr. John vision voice profound You wanna do some livin' before you die. Do it down in New Orleans. Dr. John dies new-orleans I'd rather have the whole world against me than my own soul. Dr. John soul whole world If we don't be going strong, we're going weak, and we can't afford to go weak. We've got too many problems to do that. Dr. John strong problem weak I've been thinking a lot lately about taking chances, and how it's really just about overcoming your fears. Because the truth is, everytime you take a big risk in your life, no matter how it ends up, you're always glad you took it. Dr. John risk overcoming thinking We all, if we go with ego I go or you go ego thing, it's got to be free from all of that and just roll, because music is a spiritual thing. It's got to come through us and can't just hit us. It's got to be part of us that comes through us and goes to the people, and then they come back to us and give us more spirit. Dr. John spiritual giving people I started out with the guitar and was a studio musician back in the 50s, and then got shot in my finger. Dr. John shots musician guitar History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell there political and cultural time of day. It is also a compass that people use to find themselves on the map of human geography. History tells a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are and what they are. Most important, history tells a people where they still must go, what they still must be. The relationship of history to the people is the same as the relationship of a mother to her child. Dr. John mother children people I been trying to clean up my act with my children for a long time. And I pretty much got them all talking to me now. And they accept me as a humanoid again. Dr. John talking long children Stress is the inability to adapt to a changing environment. Dr. John changing-environment inability stress Everybody in my neighborhood in the '40s, they played pianos. That's how people partied. They didn't try the TV, the radio was OK, records was cool, but when people wanted to party, they got around a piano. My mother played piano, my sister played. I've been around a lot of piano all my life. Dr. John piano party mother When I was a little kid wanting to play music, it was because of people like Pete Johnson, Huey Smith, Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, James Booker, Art Neville ... there was so many piano players I loved in New Orleans. Then there was guys from out of town that would come cut there a lot. There was so many great bebop piano players, so many great jazz piano players, so many great Latin piano players, so many great blues piano players. Some of those Afro-Cuban bands had some killer piano players. There was so many different things going on musically, and it was all of interest to me. Dr. John latin kids art I always seemed to be in the right place at the wrong time. Dr. John missed-connections right-place wrong-time Powerful people never educate powerless people in what they need that they can use to take the power away from powerful people; it's too much to expect. If I was in power, I would not educate people in how to take my powers away. Dr. John african-american powerful people Doc has been my name all my life, and John is my middle name. I'm proud of all my names - Malcolm John Michael Creaux Rebennack. I'm proud of them names. Dr. John middle proud names The specter of color is apparent even when it goes unmentioned, and it is all too often the unseen force that influences public policy as well as private relationships. There is nothing more remarkable than the ingenuity that the various demarcations of the color line reflect. If only the same creative energy could be used to eradicate the color line; then its days would indeed be numbered. Dr. John unseen color creative See, I dont know nothing about singing. I never wanted to be a frontman. Frontmen had big egos and was always crazy and aggravating. I just never thought that was a good idea. Dr. John ego crazy ideas In the network's mind there are no limits. Dr. John limits mind My mom was beautiful; she was supposed to be the original Jane in the original Tarzan movie. They asked her to put her foot in the water and there was an alligator in there, and she wouldn't put her foot in the water. Dr. John mom feet beautiful
