Gordon Raphael Quotes

There was a time when my taste in music was mainstream, for example - people like Jimi Hendrix - who I really based a lot of my inspiration on, was the most popular entertainer of his day. He was really number one. And bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles are really number one bands. But those days are very much done. I can't say that if I listen to the number one artist now that I get excited.

I tend to get sounds that sound a little bit wrecked.

When I hear music which is really exciting, I get really excited, and when I hear music which is really boring, I get really upset. I get angry.

The fact that I don't get big offers, it means that I don't refuse them. And I say no occasionally to bands, if I find them not very interesting to me. Or sounds like a copy of something else, I will say no. But 97% of the time, I say yes thank you to any jobs I'm offered.

I don't get a lot of big offers. Never have in my career. For some reason, record labels don't call me, famous bands don't call me, only kids in rock bands. I don't know why, and I don't worry about it. I would worry about it if I wasn't working, if I was unemployed.

The music I make is very underground-sounding, it doesn't sound like it goes into the charts. It doesn't sound like it's trying to fit into today's style. So I think I have already a vibrating tool to an art form that isn't the mainstream. I'm very outside of the mainstream in my taste of music.

Argentina is a very interesting culture because unlike Europe and the US, they did not abandon rock and roll music, they did not turn their backs on it. It's an important part of their culture. So guitar music is an important part of their culture. So me being into rock music, I get respect working there, which wasn't happening in Europe or in the US.

I don't want to hear from a band that pretty much sounds like another band. Oh I've heared this riff before, or I've heared these words that everyone is saying. I want to hear new poetry, new guitar riffs, new drum-beats, new sounds. Then I'm really interested.

Music is very personal. It is not objective. We're not talking about how tight they were. How famous they are. How rich they are. For me it's like food. You taste it, and you either love it, or you think it's boring, or it tastes bad, which is three reactions I have with music, just like food, it's very personal.

I go shopping for jeans, and they're playing shitty music in the store, I just leave. I can't be around music that I hate.

I'm definitely not a laptop/midi/abelton guy. But there is a lot of music I like. I really like Bach organ music. I really like Chopin piano music. I really like Wendy Carlo's electronic music. I really like Miles Davis and John Mclaughlin jazz style. So I'm not only an old-school rocker, but I have to admit that I'm going to be listening to The Doors, Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Bob Dylan many times a week.