Whenever you do anything or say anything, you're opening yourself up to criticism. But that's okay. Win Butler More Quotes by Win Butler More Quotes From Win Butler When I was living in Boston I worked in this store that played the college radio station. I had to listen to it all day, and I didn't care for most of it. Win Butler boston care college It seems like the record industry made so much crazy money in the 1960s that everyone wanted to get in on it. Now it's just become very corporate. So all of these people who despise music end up being in charge. Win Butler records crazy people Major labels just lost their way. It's like the housing bubble. They lost a sense of the fundamentals. Win Butler labels fundamentals way The film Black Orpheus is one of my favorite films of all time, which is set in Carnival in Brazil. Win Butler brazil film black I don't think the emotional quality is the defining quality of the music but it's definitely something that people have picked up on a lot Win Butler emotional people thinking There's an obligation to let people know where their money is going, so the tour has an educational aspect, mostly as a way to thank people. But the most practical use is to raise money and do the research to figure out the proper ways to spend it. You want to make sure that the money doesn't just go somewhere where it does more harm than good. Win Butler obligation educational people In the UK, tons of records are now sold in grocery stores, because there are no record stores - it's iTunes or the grocery store. And almost every band that had an impact on me was on a major label. There's value in people actually hearing things, as well. Win Butler values people I always find live shows on film kind of boring. Even my favorite ones, I kinda zone out for most of it. It's just so different seeing a band in the flesh and then watching a film of it, even if you have a hundred cameras and it's shot from every angle. There's just a communal, visceral thing that never translates very well. Win Butler film different kind I think when you've been in a band for a really long time, sometimes you don't appreciate what's good about yourself. It's easy to play something and get too focused on some small detail. It's helpful to have somebody around who can say, "No, that was good." Just so you don't get too lost or forget what you do. You need somebody you really trust who has great taste. Win Butler appreciate long thinking A lot of stuff is dark in a way, but unless you're really looking at a situation for what it actually is, it's hard to be hopeful - or meaningless to be hopeful about it unless it's actually based in a real possibility. Win Butler hopeful real dark I think there's some pretty amazing language in the Bible. The thing that's always been interesting to me about religion is that compared to the more modern spirituality, the West Coast pseudo-Buddhist thing that people go for these days, actual Buddhism and Islam have been looking at these philosophical questions, at really hard questions, for a long time. There's a lot of stuff that philosophy doesn't talk about, and in the secular world, a lot of times, people don't talk about these ideas, and that was always really interesting for me. Win Butler philosophical buddhism philosophy Actual patriotism has to do with loving a place enough to try and improve it. Win Butler enough trying There's this idea, particularly in pop music and a lot of these pop father/manager types, that you're selling the person instead of the song. You basically want to create something that the fans relate to because it's exactly like them. So there's a lot of art that's made to be in the image of the audience, but then the audience is imitating this version of themselves. It's a really weird cultural feedback loop, and it's kind of strange to watch. It's a new thing since I was a kid, really a different thing. Win Butler song father art I studied scriptural interpretation, which is more about how people get meaning out of texts, looking at stuff in the Old Testament - Muslims, Christians, Jews, different interpretations of the same texts. Win Butler different christian people There's the idea that you have to know how to solve the world's problems in order to feel that something is morally wrong. I'm always back and forth between optimism and depression about the situation. Win Butler optimism situation problem I love my iPhone; it's great to have a camera around all the time. Win Butler camera great time love I'm not a good hipster - if I let my moustache grow for weeks, it just looks like I have dirt on my face. I'll never have a glorious handlebar moustache. Win Butler grow face never good Everyone has their own talents. It's up to the individual to see what you can actually do. Win Butler everyone own see you I was really sick of bands just ignoring the audience as a posture in rock music. And I think we fed off each other in terms of trying to engage the audience, not in a hammy way, but actually trying to be aware of the space that you are playing in and trying to connect in some way through the music. Win Butler you music sick space A lot of people get really stuck in this idea that everything's been done and there's nowhere left to go. Win Butler everything go done people