Richard Thompson Quotes - Page 2

I try to make songs visual and tactile to kind of put you into the action.

I'm always making a conscious effort to be viable and accessible.

It's fun to sing sad songs. And it's fun to listen to sad songs. Enjoyable. Satisfying. Something.

You want the audience to be uncomfortable.

To see both sides of a quarrel, is to judge without hate or alarm

Nothing is plainer than that, if the principles of the church of Rome prevail here, our Constitution would fall. The two cannot exist together. They are in open and direct antagonism with the fundamental theory of our government and of all popular government everywhere.

I just like to entertain myself by sitting down and writing songs.

It's amazing what some people read into songs.

Amplifying acoustic instruments more than a little is really cheating, and everything becomes a compromise.

I think you can refine what you do, and become more consistent. And you write better songs that have a better shape and a better feeling. You evolve into and out of things, and go through stages, but, ultimately, you do improve.

People want to hear about the extremes of human nature. They want things that are larger than their own lives, and more romantic, and not necessarily of their own experiences.

The thing I do, really, is a communication with audiences more than any achievement through records.

I want people to come to my music without prejudice. I want them to get the music first. And who I am isn't that important. If they like the songs to me that's a good thing.

As the writer, you're always a presence in the song. If you get close to what human beings are like, you're writing about common experience. We all do much the same things, so if you nail somebody, then you've also nailed yourself.

Will there be any bartenders up there in Heaven, will the pubs never close?

They came in the thousands from the whole human race to pay their respects at his last resting place.

There are only three white blues singers -- Geoff Muldaur is at least two of them.

Well, first of all it's entertainment. That stops us becoming too pretentious or thinking we're great artists.

I have to remind myself not to set boundaries.

I like the idea of playing in unison with yourself.

I probably wrote three-quarters of the songs without an instrument in my hands.