I don't remember things initially when listening to music. Like, I don't remember where I first heard a song, I don't have nostalgic attachment to a song in that it reminds me of such and such a time or place. I think I probably did experience that somewhat when I was not a full-time, professional musician, but I don't think music works that way for people who are in it constantly.
Stephin MerrittThere are so many clichรฉs in the world, especially in music, that it's a never-ending creative font to just bring two of them together and let them interact.
Stephin MerrittThe adventure is when people don't know what they're doing at all. Like, I think that the first pop band to use synthesizers as their main instrument and take it seriously was probably Silver Apples. And they sure didn't know what they were doing, and they sure don't sound like anything else.
Stephin MerrittI gave up music criticism because of the increasingly obvious conflict of interest. I couldn't say anything bad about the records when I might be meeting that person's manager backstage an hour later.
Stephin MerrittThere's a whole kind of melancholy that you can only attain with reverb. That's an example of a technology introducing a whole new meaning.
Stephin Merritt