Sean Lennon: Songwriting is kind of like a craft. It's not something t...

There are only really a few stories to tell in the end, and betrayal and the failure of love is one of those good stories to tell.

Sean Lennon

betrayal stories love

My father was assassinated by an FBI-CIA connection

Sean Lennon

cia connections father

My dad, he's definitely one of greatest writers of his generation. There is no question about it. When you are that good, when work is that good, you have to appreciate every aspect of it. It's the architecture of it, it's like looking at a Frank Lloyd Wright building or a Lautner building, it's master craftsmanship. Every aspect of it intertwines in a perfectly harmonious way. That's what architecture is at its best and the architecture of my father's music is on that level.

Sean Lennon

appreciate dad father

I'm not trying to overcome my father or fill his shoes or reach any kind of level that he did. We're talking about a [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart] of rock music.

Sean Lennon

rocks talking father

Anyone who doesn't think the government killed my father either hasn't given the issue much thought, or is insane.

Sean Lennon

government father thinking

Putting out commercial pieces and promoting them and trying to sell them to people is not necessarily what it means to be an artist

Sean Lennon

artist mean people

Wonder Woman was my first love, and now she’s [Charlotte Kemp Muhl) my last.

Sean Lennon

wonder-woman first-love lasts

The most important thing in my father's life? World peace. Me and my brother. My mom.

Sean Lennon

mom brother father

They say rock is dead. Andy [Warhol] said art is dead. God is dead according to Nietzsche. If everything's dead what's alive? Only technology. We're in the era of technology.

Sean Lennon

rocks technology art

Now Daddy is part of God. I guess when you die you become much more bigger, because you're part of everything.

Sean Lennon

daddy dies bigger

We live in a pretty bleak time. I feel that in the air. Everything is uncertain. Everything feels like its on the precipice of some major transformation, whether we like it or not.

Sean Lennon

transformation uncertain air

For me, songwriting is something that I have to do ritually. I don't just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit every day.

Sean Lennon

music inspiration writing

I wouldn't even say "Imagine" is political. I think it's…more just sort of declaration of humanity. I don't find his political songs to be the ones that I go home and listen to. And I would say that of any artist. They're not the ones that interest…

Sean Lennon

artist home song

Some people feel that it's controversial if I say that because my dad is known as a political artist. But I don't really believe that he was a political artist. I think some of his songs were political, and I think they were incredible because he was able to make art that was political and that wasn't pedantic. But I think he was unique in being able to do that.

Sean Lennon

dad song art

I like music because it's the only invisible art form.

Sean Lennon

invisible form art

Natural gas has been sold as clean energy. But when the gas comes from fracturing bedrock with about five million gallons of toxic water per well, the word “clean” takes on a disturbingly Orwellian tone. Don’t be fooled. Fracking for shale gas is in truth dirty energy.

Sean Lennon

tone water dirty

I do think British tailoring is the best. French people hate me when I say that, but I do think it's true.

Sean Lennon

hate people thinking

I don't really believe in political art. I feel in my heart the purpose of art transcends cultural and class and politics. I think something like the Sistine Chapel is something that goes beyond just being a Christian thing. It transcends its Christianity and becomes sort of a universal beauty. And I think that's true of music and art and literature.

Sean Lennon

christian believe art

I'm lucky to have had a father [John Lennon] who paid attention.

Sean Lennon

lucky attention father

I'm not that in control of myself that I could be specific about exactly the way I'm doing everything as it happens. I'm just trying my best

Sean Lennon

everything-happens-for-a-reason trying way

Songwriting is kind of like a craft. It's not something that just comes in a dream. You've got to work at it.