All art really does is keep you focused on questions of humanity, and it really is about how do we get on with our maker.
David BowieRead
When I'm stuck for a closing to a lyric, I will drag out my last resort: overwhelming illogic.
Interpretation
What this quote means
David Bowie expresses the creative struggle of finding closure in songwriting, resorting to illogical ideas when necessary.
In this quote, David Bowie shares a glimpse into the creative process of songwriting, highlighting the moments of difficulty when one is unsure how to conclude a lyric. The mention of 'overwhelming illogic' suggests that in times of creative blockage, unconventional or nonsensical ideas can serve as a last resort, ultimately fostering creativity and encouraging artistic expression even in the face of uncertainty.
Themes
CreativitySongwritingArtistic ProcessLyricImprovisation
In practice
Example use cases
During a songwriting workshop to encourage creativity.
More from David Bowie
All quotes βI guess, taking away all the theatrics or the costuming and the outer layers of what I do, I'm a writer... I write.
David BowieRead
I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.
David BowieRead
Nothing prepared me for your smile
David BowieRead
But I've got to think of myself as the luckiest guy. Robert Johnson only had one album's worth of work as his legacy. That's all that life allowed him.
David BowieRead
I'm an early riser. I get up between five and six, have coffee, and read for a couple of hours before everyone else gets up.
David BowieRead
Similar quotes
I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.
Pablo PicassoRead
Food is about making an interaction with ingredients. If you talk to them, they will always tell you a story.
Jose AndresRead
It's dialogue that gives your cast their voices, and is crucial in defining their characters.
Stephen KingRead
Poetry is not a civilizer, rather the reverse, for great poetry appeals to the most primitive instincts.
Robinson JeffersRead
As a writer, I tend to be drawn to marginal people - writers, poet-prophets, seers, eccentrics - who embody the deeper ambivalences of their societies and bear deeper witness to their world than the famous figures we are used to celebrating, or demonizing, in our histories.
Pankaj MishraRead