32 David Longstreth Quotes for You to Enjoy

David Longstreth

American Musician

Born: Dec 17, 1981

First Me Music People Think You

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Most of the creative industries have been deskilled by these really powerful ideologies of punk in music and Warhol in the visual arts. I think it would be great for us collectively to ask whether it's had a negative or positive effect in contributing imaginative stuff to our culture. David Longstreth

Positive Music Great Creative Culture Negative Punk Think Our Visual Visual Arts Would Would-Be Collectively Had Powerful Stuff Most Industries Ideologies Been Effect Contributing Arts Whether Warhol Ask Us Really Imaginative

Songs, a while ago, became the medium through which I process most of the information that I receive and feel. But I go back and forth about whether this is all of life or whether you're missing something important in living and whether or not, as a humanist, you're abnegating a certain responsibility if this - this art - is just where you are. David Longstreth

Life Art You Responsibility Important Living Medium Back About Something Through Songs Feel Missing Most Became Go Just Where Information Process Whether Which While Forth Certain Humanist Receive

When the Swing Lo Magellan touring wound up, it felt like the end of something for me, and I needed a break from touring. But really, the co-writing and producing I did after this gave me a different perspective on this whole thing. To me, that was like being a different spoke on the wheel. David Longstreth

Me Perspective Gave Wound Something Touring Spoke Like Felt End Up Did Wheel Being Different After Break Really Producing Different Perspective Whole Swing Thing Needed

I do have my more concept-y albums, and then I have the ones that are more about just collections of songs. For me, the first Dirty Projectors record that I put out was like that: 'The Glad Fact.' David Longstreth

Me First Out Collections Record About More Fact Dirty Glad Songs Put Like Just Then Albums

I like the idea that songs can communicate in a way no other media can. That's why I write them. David Longstreth

Communicate Other Way Write Songs Idea Like Them Media Why

Sexual harrassment and abuse is intolerable. David Longstreth

Intolerable Sexual Abuse

What music can do so well is tell the truth in a subjective way. David Longstreth

Truth Music Way Tell Well Subjective

As far as working with Kanye and Solange, that was amazing. After 'Swing Lo Magellan', I needed a change. Getting to work in that capacity, writing for other people and working for other people as a writer and as a person who's not representing it as the front person or whatever - it's such a different perspective you can get. David Longstreth

Work You Change People Writing Amazing Perspective Whatever Other Writer Person Get Front Getting Representing Different As Far As After Capacity Far Working Kanye Different Perspective Swing Needed

Kanye has this discursive way of working, getting input from a range of people, that I thought was really cool. David Longstreth

People Thought Way Input Range Getting Really Working Kanye Cool

I used to feel that musical knowledge and emotional truth-telling were antagonistic. But I was too curious about chords and instruments and recording to stay locked in that mentality. David Longstreth

Knowledge Recording Too Musical Locked Stay About Mentality Emotional Feel Instruments Antagonistic Were Curious Used Chords

I love 808s - not only the Auto-Tune but just ,in general, the embrace of a kind of digital style of working. David Longstreth

Love Digital Style Kind Embrace General Only Just Working

Just like any songwriter, the songs come out of where I am in my life and what I'm doing and who I'm hanging out with and the kind of sounds I'm imagining. I always loved the idea of it evolving in the same way that life changes. David Longstreth

Life My Life Changes Way Out Kind Evolving Life Changes Songs Songwriter Idea Come Like Always Am Doing Sounds Same Any Hanging Just Where Loved Who Imagining

Bjork has this kind of abstraction and formalism that you associate with art music or avant-garde music. David Longstreth

Music Art You Kind Abstraction Avant-Garde Associate

When I first heard Bjork's music, I felt like I was a similar-minded thinker, both harmonically and melodically. She takes those things that you naturally assume to be opposite because they're presented that way most of the time, and the way she twines them together is so beautiful. To be able to do that is so powerful. David Longstreth

Beautiful Music Time You Together First Assume Way Those Able Both Takes Powerful Like Most She Because Felt Opposite Heard Them Naturally Things Thinker Presented

Steely Dan is a band I'm not that into. Well, I guess I like certain singles. David Longstreth

Band Dan Guess Steely Like Well Singles Certain

For somebody like Kanye, fame is the fullest realisation of his art in a way. It's like an Andy Warhol dream or something. He's able to marshal all of these different artforms and media into his story, in this very layered, idiosyncratic way. David Longstreth

You can have outlandish ideas, but if you don't work at them, they just remain outlandish ideas. Anyone can have an idea. Work is transformative. David Longstreth

Work You Outlandish Remain Idea Ideas Just Anyone Transformative Them

When you make a melody that doesn't come with words from the get-go, sometimes you're just thinking about random vowel sounds that go with it - and it's really, really hard to write lyrics that actually obey the vowel sounds. David Longstreth

You Words Obey Sometimes Random Thinking Lyrics Melody About Write Come Vowel Make Sounds Go Just Really Hard Actually

Being in a band can be really toxic to being in a relationship, considering all the touring and everything. Sometimes when you're on tour, it feels like you're living the same day over and over again. David Longstreth

Day Relationship You Sometimes Band Living Everything Considering Tour Touring Over Feels Like Toxic Same Being Again Really

With 'Stillness', I don't think I appreciated how very codified all the different genres were in radio formats and the various constituencies of the culture. But music is music, too. David Longstreth

Music Culture Stillness Think Too Various Genres How Were Very Different Formats Different Genres Radio Appreciated

I remember when that Kelis song 'Milkshake' came out, and just how extreme it seemed in terms of that really high triangle part and then the really low subs and then her voice in the middle. David Longstreth

Song Remember Extreme Triangle Out High Seemed Voice Part Remember When Terms How Came Just Middle Low Then Really Her

When we're talking about friendships, generosity and fairness and equanimity and sharing and all those things are super-important to me. David Longstreth

Me Those About Sharing Generosity Fairness Talking Equanimity Friendships Things

When it comes to music, I am a dictator. Making a Dirty Projectors record come to life is like making a movie; I'm the one that makes the picture, and then we all figure out how to realise it. David Longstreth

Life Music Picture Out Record Dirty Come Like Makes How Making Am Dictator Movie Realise Then Figure

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