You can't write for the cultural environment - if you do that, by the time it comes out, that cultural environment has passed. You have to be aiming for something that's original - that's the only way you can have any kind of impact. Alex Kapranos More Quotes by Alex Kapranos More Quotes From Alex Kapranos The best songwriting comes from being as creative as you can and editing it down to the good bits, essentially. Alex Kapranos songwriting creative editing Although they might not admit it, I think girls are very aware of the impact that they're having. But they never feel it themselves, and it's impossible to explain. It's like trying to tell a blind person what yellow is. Alex Kapranos impact girl thinking There's a difference between expectations and aspirations. Alex Kapranos aspiration differences expectations Anyone can play an instrument if you show them how to move their limbs, lips or fingers the right way. It's irrelevant. What is relevant is personality, energy, creativity and disturbing sense of humour. Alex Kapranos creativity personality moving It doesn't matter how adventurous you want to be, you've still got to contain your identity. Alex Kapranos identity want adventure Of course, there's a certain type of person who feels that anything which becomes mainstream has to be rejected immediately. And that's part of the indie-alternative snobbery and hierarchy and elitism. Alex Kapranos hierarchy mainstream alternatives You're letting such a fragile side of yourself out when you're creating or writing music. To do that with people who are almost strangers would seem very strange to me. I think that we're very lucky that we're quite close. To us, it's almost like the band is the grandest possible adventure you can go on with your friends. It's really really exciting. Alex Kapranos writing adventure thinking Music should be universal. My life perspective, my lifestyle - I'm not going to impose that on the people that listen to my music. That's kind of a perverse form of snobbery I like to reject. Alex Kapranos perspective kind people It's easy to be lazy when there's food lying around backstage or there's a fast-food joint a couple blocks away. But if you walk a little further, ask around a bit, of course there are exciting things to discover. Alex Kapranos block couple lying There's a character that I play onstage, and I can't let him loose in the supermarket when I'm buying my beans on toast. Alex Kapranos buying play character You can only begin to be great when you embrace a sense of your own ridiculousness. Alex Kapranos embrace I want to change and try new ideas - allowing your sonic identity to evolve in your music and not being afraid of that. You see musicians hit upon something that works, and then go, "Let's keep doing that for 10 years." And that idea kind of terrifies me a little bit. It becomes like a day job then. Alex Kapranos musician identity trying Glasgow's not a media center. When you're there, when you're hanging about, you feel quite detached from musical movements or fashions or anything like that. You do feel quite alone, in a good way. Alex Kapranos fashion musical media Being in a band didn't buy me my beans on toast! Alex Kapranos toasts beans band Traditionally, lots of vagrants and unemployable characters wind up working in kitchens. Alex Kapranos kitchen wind character It's fine to indulge yourself so long as you don't try and foist it on the rest of the world. Alex Kapranos trying long world I want to make music that will make the blood surge in your veins, music that will get people up and dance. Alex Kapranos dance inspirational blood Ambition is sneered at by some bands. It seems like a pretty good thing to me. Alex Kapranos band good-things ambition Arty. To me the word's got as much venom associated with it as 'wacky'. Alex Kapranos wacky venom You can always have it better. If you try... [This is the right attitude:] Never to feel [completely] satisfied, always to want to do something better! Alex Kapranos want attitude trying
