39 Gilbert O'Sullivan Quotes for You to Enjoy

Gilbert O'Sullivan

Irish Musician

Born: Dec 1, 1946

Good Me Music People Song You

I'm very much a home bird. I sometimes think I should have been a domestic. I like sweeping up, getting everything tidy. I'm obsessive compulsive. I don't mind admitting it. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Home Sometimes Bird Mind Admitting Think Everything Compulsive Obsessive Like Tidy Been Domestic Up Very Getting Much Should Sweeping

Doing the Best I Can' is a sure fire hit. Incredibly commercial. But what could you say about it? Catchy and good to dance to. But 'Nothing Rhymes' is different. A much bigger risk but it was lyrics people could talk about. So that was the one to launch me on. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Best Good Me You People Dance Fire Nothing Incredibly Lyrics Say I Can Launch About Risk Could Catchy Talk Sure Doing Hit Commercial Different Bigger Rhymes Much

I'd go to meetings with record companies - CBS, Decca, EMI. They'd tell me to wear a pair of jeans and grow my hair and look normal. And I'd say, 'Sod that,' and storm out. And I do think that belligerence is important when you're young. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Some artists say 'Don't categorize me.' I'm saying 'You can't categorize me.' Gilbert O'Sullivan

Saying Me You Say Some Categorize Artists

I was one of six children, brought up by my mother in Swindon after my father died. We had all we needed - food on the table, clothes to wear. When I wanted a drum kit, my mother got me one. When I got into playing guitar, I came down one Christmas or birthday and there was a guitar for me. It amazes me how Mum managed to do it. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Christmas Food Birthday Me Guitar Mother Father Clothes Down Wear Table I Came Brought Kit Had Drum Got How Amazes Came Up Died Six Children Wanted After Mum Playing Needed

What I would hate to go through is what happened in the mid-90s playing in front of a half-empty theatre, which prompted me to say 'never again' when it came to Waterford. To go through that again in any of the places I call home would destroy me. Gilbert O'Sullivan

To be successful to me meant to have a hit record in England. I never looked outside England. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Me Record Outside Never Looked Hit Hit Record Successful Meant England

My Norwegian wife Aase was a Pan Am stewardess back in the Seventies when we met. She was very attractive, and we became good friends, but I was travelling a lot and she was jetting back and forth across the Atlantic, so it was a while before we got together. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Good Together Wife Met Before Good Friends Back Seventies Atlantic Attractive She Became Got Am Lot Friends Very Norwegian While Forth Across Travelling Pan

I was a big fan of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Big Chaplin Charlie Charlie Chaplin Big Fan Fan Keaton Buster

You see, I read reviews of people like Paul Simon, and they don't talk about the fact that he's looking old or whether he is fashionable; they talk about the music, which is how it should be. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Nothing Rhymed,' my first single in England, was a nice ballad, which I thought would sound like a songwriter typical of the day - denim, jeans, long hair, early 20s. Gilbert O'Sullivan

I work in the studio all day, and then I go for a walk with my dog, listening to music on headphones. And Saturday and Sundays, work is strictly out of bounds. It has to be. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Work Music Day Dog Walk Listening Strictly All Day Out Sundays Studio Bounds Headphones Go Then Saturday

Nobody likes going to court. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Nobody Likes Court Going

The Beatles changed everything . I knew I couldn't compete, couldn't be as cool, so I went completely the other way. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Beatles Changed Other Everything Way Knew Cool Compete

I am immensely proud of my Irish roots. Gilbert O'Sullivan

I Am Immensely Proud Am Irish Roots

I'm not a great socialiser. Nor am I a red carpet person. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Great Carpet Red Red Carpet Am Nor Person

I've never recorded anyone else's songs. I'm not interested. If you gave me a song by Bono and Edge and promised me a number one hit with it I'd still say no. That, for me, is not the kind of success I want. Gilbert O'Sullivan

I must be the only artist whose image was hated by everybody. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Everybody Must Hated Only Artist Whose Image

At college I had a Saturday job in a hardware store and I got #1. When I came to London in 1966 and lived in a bedsit, I got a temporary job as a salesman in a C&A store. I don't know what I earned: enough to pay the rent, I imagine. Then, in 1967'68, I worked as a postal clerk for #10 a week. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Job College Pay Enough Earned Postal I Came London Temporary Week Had Know Clerk Got Rent Came Salesman Store Then Worked Lived Saturday Hardware Hardware Store Imagine

I thought my singing and songwriting were good, but nothing different. Then you're presented with this picture image that contradicts the impression you get from listening to the record. Gilbert O'Sullivan

Good You Listening Thought Picture Singing Nothing Record Songwriting Were Impression Get Different Then Image Presented