David Sylvian Quotes

United Kingdom, Singer-Songwriter
February 23, 1958

David Sylvian is an English singer-songwriter and musician who came to prominence in the late 1970s as the frontman of the new wave group Japan. After the group disbanded in 1982, Sylvian pursued an esoteric solo career that would draw on varied styles including jazz, art rock, and ambient music. He has collaborated widely with artists such as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp, Holger Czukay, and Fennesz.

Also known as Musician

People are afraid to ask musicians to be involved in projects because they anticipate being turned down. Young artists hesitate before contacting me. People in my position don't get approached often enough.

David Sylvian
- People
I don't listen to a lot of music any more and even the people I've loved for years - the Nick Drakes of this world - I can't go back to them and listen to them over and over.

David Sylvian
- People
- World
- Music

Sometimes a little compromise isn't a bad thing. You don't need to be precious about it.

David Sylvian
- Bad
I like to explore a lot of textural, arrangement aspects in the studio.

David Sylvian
- Explore
The public so often want to freeze the artist in a moment in time when they were at their peak, and they want the artist to revisit it over and over again as if it was something authentic.

David Sylvian
- Time
I think nowadays it doesn't really matter where we are physically located. We create our own culture around us to a large extent, whether it's what we're listening to, what we're watching, what we're reading - it can have very little to do with one's immediate cultural environment. We are in a global culture in that respect.

David Sylvian
- Culture
- Respect
- Reading
I'm obsessed with books.

David Sylvian
I knew that I had to find my own voice, both figuratively and literally.

David Sylvian

It wasn't my natural inclination to get into writing protest songs.

David Sylvian
- Writing
During the lifetime of Japan I became very neurotic, very paranoid.

David Sylvian
Zen Buddhism is a discipline where belief isn't necessary.

David Sylvian
- Discipline
Creating a decent pop song is a challenge - and occasionally, once in every decade - it's kind of fun to do that.

David Sylvian
- Fun
- Song
- Challenge