When people get together that come from different musical backgrounds, a lot of times there's is a good ... it's very enjoyable to say somebody, let me turn you on to some things, and the other person does the same thing. And they play you stuff that maybe you weren't that familiar with and likewise.
Robbie RobertsonIt would be nice to abandon the verse-chorus-bridge structure completely, and make it so none of these things are definable...Make up new names for them. Instead of a bridge, you can call it a highway, or an overpass...Music should never be harmless.
Robbie RobertsonYou don't stumble upon your heritage. It's there, just waiting to be explored and shared.
Robbie RobertsonWhen you make a record, your own record, and you don't even recognize it yourself, it's hard to think if anybody else is going to recognize.
Robbie RobertsonWhile I was there, I was just gathering images and names, and ideas and rhythms, and I was storing all of these things - which I didn't realize I was doing - but I was storing them all in an attic in my mind somewhere. And when it was time to sit down and write songs, when I reached into the attic to see what I was gonna write about, that's what was there.
Robbie RobertsonThe rock concert experience for people was really pretty stupid, you know, at the time. People would go to concerts not with the idea of listening at all.
Robbie RobertsonConfused by the big city blues, he didn't know who's life he's leading. Put yourself behind the wheel, see if you can get that feel.
Robbie RobertsonIt would be nice to abandon the verse-chorus-bridge structure completely, and make it so none of these things are definable. ... Make up new names for them. Instead of a bridge, you can call it a highway, or an overpass. ... Music should never be harmless. ... I remember from my earliest years, people speaking, you know, in a certain kind of rhythm and telling stories and sharing experiences in a way that was different in Indian country than it was other places. And I was really struck by this and obviously very affected by it, because it's always come out in my songs.
Robbie RobertsonI try not to think the song to death. The main criteria is if it's working on an emotional level.
Robbie Robertson