I ain’t never far away from a pencil and paper or a tape recorder.
Dolly PartonThere’s something about music that encourages people to want to know more about the person that made it, and where it was recorded, what year it was done, what they were listening to, and all this kind of stuff. There’s something that invites all this obsessive behavior.
David ByrneRobert Fripp and I will be recording another LP very soon. It should be even more monotonous than the first one!
Brian EnoNo one has any faith in the tape anymore – everyone just relies on computers and considers the hardrive to be the safest option, and I don’t. I think an analog tape is something you can hold.
Dave GrohlWhat turns me on about the digital age, what excited me personally, is that you have closed the gap between dreaming and doing. You see, it used to be that if you wanted to make a record of a song, you needed a studio and a producer. Now, you need a laptop.
BonoWe record when I have a hole in the schedule. Sometimes night, sometimes afternoon, sometimes morning – we fit it in when we can. I prep for episodes all the time.
Jocko WillinkI think when people make a record with a goal in mind – like taking it to the next level or making them seem more mature – that gets in the way of writing great songs.
Taylor SwiftPerforming is a thing in itself, a distinct skill, different from making recordings. And for those who can do it, it’s a way to make a living.
David ByrneI do some kind of work, whether writing or painting or recording, on a daily basis. And it’s so essential that when I’m involved in the actual process, my so-called ‚real life‘ becomes almost incidental, which becomes worrying.
David BowieI always loved that old song ‚Banks of the Ohio‘ – it was always such a man’s song, so I’ve always wanted to record it.
Dolly PartonAt 13 years old, I realized I could start my own band. I could write my own song, I could record my own record. I could start my own label. I could release my own record. I could book my own shows. I could write and publish my own fanzine. I could silk-screen my own T-shirt. I could do this all myself.
Dave GrohlI don’t know if I ever feel totally great about a record when I put it out. With every record that I put out, someone has literally got to come pry it from me because when I listen to my own music, I just hear flaws in it.
EminemMy friend has a baby. I’m recording all the noises he makes so later I can ask him what he meant.
Steven WrightMy songs always sound a lot better in person than they do on the record.
Bob DylanAs for my stuff, I’m just doing guest verses for other people’s records. I try to stay recording, because if I don’t, I get rusty.
EminemI’m not actually a very keen performer. I like putting shows together. I like putting events together. In fact, everything I do is about the conceptualizing and realization of a piece of work, whether it’s the recording or the performance side.
David BowieI thought it was magic to be able to catch something identically on tape and then be able to play around with it, run it backwards; I thought that was great for years.
Brian EnoI think it all comes back to being very selfish as an artist. I mean, I really do just write and record what interests me and I do approach the stage shows in much the same way.
David Bowie