Brian Eno Quotes


People assume that the meaning of a song is vested in the lyrics. To me, that has never been the case. There are very few songs that I can think of where I remember the words. Brian Eno Assume 94
The philosophical idea that there are no more distances, that we are all just one world, that we are all brothers, is such a drag! I like differences. Brian Eno Brothers 82
I take sounds and change them into words. Brian Eno Change 80
For the world to be interesting, you have to be manipulating it all the time. Brian Eno Interesting 75
My lyrics are generated by various peculiar processes. Very random and similar to automatic writing. Brian Eno Automatic 75
I hate the rock music tradition. I can't bear it! Brian Eno Music 73
The smart thing in the art world is to have one good idea and never have another. Brian Eno art 71
Everybody is entertained to death. Brian Eno death 68
Musicians are there in front of you, and the spectators sense their tension, which is not the case when you're listening to a record. Your attention is more relaxed. The emotional aspect is more important in live music. Brian Eno Music 67
We are increasingly likely to find ourselves in places with background music. No composers have thought to write for these modern spaces, which represent 30% of our musical experience. Brian Eno Experience 66
I had a lot of trouble with engineers, because their whole background is learning from a functional point of view, and then learning how to perform that function. Brian Eno Background 62
I often work by avoidance. Brian Eno Avoidance 59
I felt extremely uncomfortable as the focal point, in the spotlight. I really like the behind the scenes role, because all my freedom is there. Brian Eno Behind 59
I'm very good with technology, I always have been, and with machines in general. They seem not threatening like other people find them, but a source of fun and amusement. Brian Eno Technology 58
I wanted to get rid of the element that had been considered essential in pop music: the voice. Brian Eno Considered 56
In the 1960s, people were trying to get away from the pop song format. Tracks were getting longer, or much, much shorter. Brian Eno Format 54
I enjoy working with complicated equipment. A lot of my things started just with a rhythm box, but I feed it through so many things that what comes out sounds very complex and rich. Brian Eno Box 53
I thought it was magic to be able to catch something identically on tape and then be able to play around with it, run it backwards; I thought that was great for years. Brian Eno Able 50
The basis of computer work is predicated on the idea that only the brain makes decisions and only the index finger does the work. Brian Eno computers 50
Honor your mistake as a hidden intention. Brian Eno Advice 49
A part of me has become immortal, out of my control. Brian Eno Become 47
I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy. Brian Eno Africa 44
As soon as I hear a sound, it always suggests a mood to me. Brian Eno Hear 41
Music in itself carries a whole set of messages which are very, very rich and complex, and the words either serve to exclude certain ones or point up certain others. Brian Eno Carries 40
I had wanted a tape recorder since I was tiny. I thought it was a magic thing. I never got one until just before I went to art school. Brian Eno art 40
Agressive music can only shock you once. Afterwards its impact declines. It's inevitable. Brian Eno Music 39
I take sounds and change them into words. Brian Eno change 37
Set up a situation that presents you with something slightly beyond your reach. Brian Eno Beyond 36
When I started making my own records, I had this idea of drowning out the singer and putting the rest in the foreground. It was the background that interested me. Brian Eno Background 35
Robert Fripp and I will be recording another LP very soon. It should be even more monotonous than the first one! Brian Eno Another 31
It's not the destination that matters. It's the change of scene. Brian Eno Change 29
If you want to make someone feel emotion, you have to make them let go. Listening to something is an act of surrender. Brian Eno Act 26
At the beginning of the 20th century, the ambition of the great painters was to make paintings that were like music, which was then considered as the noblest art. Brian Eno Art 25
When I went back to England after a year away, the country seemed stuck, dozing in a fairy tale, stifled by the weight of tradition. Brian Eno Country 24

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