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In the wake of the events of 11 September 2001, it now seems clear that the shock of the attacks was exploited in America.
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For instance, I'm always fascinated to see whether, given the kind of fairly known and established form called popular music, whether there is some magic combination that nobody has hit upon before.
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I can never predict what's going to happen.
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Editing is now the easiest thing on earth to do, and all the things that evolved out of word processing - 'Oh, let's put that sentence there, let's get rid of this' - have become commonplace in films and music too.
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Attention is what creates value. Artworks are made as well by how people interact with them - and therefore by what quality of interaction they can inspire.
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Sometimes something intrigues me about particular sounds, how they work together, and I think "Okay, I've found something here; I'm going to take it somewhere." And sometimes just to find a name for that sound, whatever it is, ends up becoming a title of the piece or becoming part of the title.
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Try to make things that can become better in other people’s minds than they were in yours.
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I don't really have a great deal of spare time. I still have a house in the country, but I'm in London 90 percent of the time.
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I believe in singing to such an extent that, if I were asked to redesign the British educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing becomes a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for cooperation with others.
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When I was young, an eccentric uncle decided to teach me how to lie. Not, he explained, because he wanted me to lie, but because he thought I should know how it's done so I would recognise when I was being lied to.
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What matters in modern music is not the part you can write down, the words and the tune, but the rest - the texture, the atmosphere, the references and associations.
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I met John Lennon and he was with his wife in Tokyo. I met him there.
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I'm fascinated by musicians who don't completely understand their territory; that's when you do your best work.
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I like lots of songs, and I find it quite interesting to do [cover songs] from time to time. My first solo hit was in 1973, the Dylan song “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall.”
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Cooking is a way of listening to the radio.
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Every collaboration helps you grow. With Bowie, it's different every time. I know how to create settings, unusual aural environments. That inspires him. He's very quick.
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It's good having a lot of different songs to choose from to do the show. It means you don't get bored of doing it in one particular genre.
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Words can be very powerful. I find them very difficult.
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I didn't really want to give up music.
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Singing aloud leaves you with a sense of levity and contentedness.
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I often say to people that producing is the best-paid form of cowardice. When you produce things, you almost always get credit if it's a good record, but you hardly ever get the blame if it's not! You don't really take responsibility for your work.
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When I stopped touring in the early '80s for a few years, it was a mistake looking back. I lost touch with my audience in a way and I think that was a bad career move.
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It must be quite mysterious to some people why I bother to carry on. Because, you know, I don't sell that many records.
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The problem with computers is that there is not enough Africa in them.