We make the oldest stories new when we succeed, and we are trapped by the old stories when we fail
Greil MarcusWhatโs the impulse behind art? Itโs saying in whatever language is the language of your work, โIf I could move you as much as it moved me โฆ if I can move anyone a tenth as much as that moved me, if I can spark the same sense of mystery and awe and surprise as that sparked in me, well thatโs why I do what I do.โ
Greil MarcusFarber had a huge effect on me as a writer. I don't mean I write like him. Farber is, first of all, a great stylist, a great writer. Anyone can read Manny Farber's film criticism, whether that person is a novelist, a poet, another critic, a historian, and learn a lot about writing by reading him.
Greil MarcusListening is like running down a mountain on a switchback trail, the sound of surprise generating its own momentum. Thereโs a punk glee inside the bluegrass craftโand a punk vehemence inside the bluegrass smile.
Greil MarcusThe Sixties are most generously described as a time when people took part - when they stepped out of themselves and acted in public, as people who didn't know what would happen next, but who were sure that acts of true risk and fear would produce something different from what they had been raised to take for granted.
Greil Marcus