You say 'African music' and you think 'tribal drumming.' But there's a lot of African music that's like James Brown, and a lot, too, that sounds very Hispanic.
It's my luck to be at the frontier of what looks to be a resurrection of roots music on the international scene. That's really what reggae music is about: that voice against oppression and struggle.
If you talk bad about country music, it's like saying bad things about my momma. Them's fightin' words.
If anybody is excited about my music, that's all I care about. I care about people who are excited about new music.
I didn't try to think what my audience wanted and then make the music accordingly. I made the music and hoped that as many people liked it as possible.
But I did go to music really early on, even when I was 4 or 5, I was responding to music probably in ways other kids were not.
Apart from Scottish traditional music, I wasn't really influenced by any kind of music. I just basically followed my own instincts.
I'm nowhere with country music. I don't hear much of it, so I shouldn't venture an opinion, but when it finds me, it seems formulaic.
Music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance... poetry begins to atrophy when it gets too far from music.
If I could believe the Quakers banned music because church music is so damn bad, I should view them with approval.
I went to school and studied music for a year at USC, which unlocked a bunch of doors for me in terms of my relationship to music.
I've discovered all kinds of music and done all kinds of music over the past 40 years, from playing tango with Piazzolla to all the different bands I've had.
Music is an extremely powerful force if used properly to uplift people. I believe music should be uplifting and not downgrading... it's a very, very powerful tool.
Music played at weddings always reminds me of the music played for soldiers before they go into battle.
Of course, there are many, many musicians whose music gives me pleasure, but until I make contact with them, musically or personally, I never assume that anything wonderful will happen.
For me Brazilian music is the perfect mix of melody and rhythm. It just bubbles rhythmically. If I had to pick just one music style to play if would be Brazilian.
You get a lot of who you are as a musician across through the music you write. If you're writing your own music, then it's important to be really honest.
What I do for migraines when I get them, I listen to classical music, and I turn it up really loud.
I loved pop music as a little kid. Things like the Black Eyed Peas. If it had a catchy chorus, I was into it.
Acting and making music are quite complementary. Acting relies on someone else's writing and direction; writing music or lyrics doesn't. But they are both creative and personal in completely different ways.
The drive to create music that is pure is my highest priority. Sometimes I'll get extremely technical, and other times I'll just kind of go with the gods of music.
